The Knife Girl
by CloveEngland
Summary: In a twisted world where Careers have souls, two best friends are thrown into the horror of the Hunger Games. Together, they face a journey that neither of them expected to be so frightening. Follow Clove in the 74th Hunger Games, in a fight to the death unlike any other seen before. Rated T because I'm paranoid. (Updated Weekly or as Often as Possible)
1. Chapter 1

**This is my own little story of the Hunger games, in the point of view of Clove, this is definitely Clato, I will probably be having sequels to this, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, but heck, we're only on the first chapter here! Hope y'all enjoy this What If sort of story.  
I don't own the Hunger Games, as cool as that'd be.  
Summary:  
**_**In a twisted world where Careers have souls, two best friends are thrown into the horror of the Hunger Games. Together, they face a journey that neither of them expected to be so frightening. Follow Clove in the 74th Hunger Games, in a fight to the death unlike any other seen before.**_

**Chapter 1**

I blink my eyes up at the white ceiling above me. Sunlight streams into the windows and I squint against the bright glare. I roll away from the light, but it still blasts against my eyes, keeping me awake. Groaning, I sit up and swing my feet over the side of the bed. I stand up and walk out to the kitchen, a chill running up my body from my feet, where they lay on the cold tile.

My eyes find the cabinet where the clean china dishes are. I open it and take out four bowls, setting them on the table. I then take cans of fruit and spoon them into the bowls, humming lightly a song I'd heard someone singing just the other day. It doesn't even come to my mind for a moment until now that today is the reaping. After all, it's not my year to volunteer. I stop in what I'm doing for a moment, thinking.

It's Mary Lou Steiner's year to volunteer. I can't help but snicker at that. She's stuck up and rude; practically my mortal enemy. The best part is, she's the most uncoordinated kid at the academy. Can't shoot a bow, can't throw a knife, heck, she can't even lift a sword. The only thing she's got going for her is her… okay hand to hand combat, as if that would do her any good in my opinion, and her manipulation. At least I have decent aim with knives and can hit far targets.

My thoughts are broken off as three boys run in laughing and screaming, and a girl walks in behind them, looking like she hadn't gotten any sleep. The kids are my little brothers and little sister. I'm sixteen, and the three boys are five-year-old triplets. My sister is twelve years old; the first year she was entered in the reaping, second year at the academy.

Mother always gives her the task of keeping the triplets under control… she learned that that job wasn't for me when she left the house for a couple of hours and she came back and knives were lodged in the walls where I tried to hit my screaming and running brothers. I grin as I think of that. Obviously, I threw a little to the left of their heads so I wouldn't hit them, but she didn't know that at the time. My smile falters when I really think of my mother. Once again, though, the boys interrupt my thinking.

"Hey, Clovey, Clove!" one of them squeaked, pulling at the skirt of my nightgown. "I'm HUNGRY!"

I roll my eyes and say, "Okay Nick, sit in your seat and eat your fruit."

He pouts. "I want CHOCOLATE!" He smiles brightly and the other two squeal in agreement. I pinch the bridge of my nose, letting out a long breath. Luckily, my sister, Kathryn, is there to get them to shut up.

"Mother says we have to eat fruit," her voice sounds tighter than usual, and a little fearful as she says, "Clove does her best to take care of us when Mother is away, and you should respect that and eat your breakfast, regardless of what it is."

Nick nods and sits down, Henry and Tucker settling in on either side of him. Nicholas is the ringleader in their group, Henry the quiet one, and Tucker the… just strange one. Tucker never speaks unless he's given sugar, and the things he says aren't really normal at all. We don't know what's wrong with him, but the other two make sure he doesn't do anything too weird, so we don't worry.

The three of them stuff their faces with fruit, while Kathryn sits down and eats a few bites before pushing the bowl away and standing up. Her eyes fall to the floor and she mumbles something incoherent- I think it was 'I'm going to get ready,'- and she begins to walk away.

I follow her and take her shoulder gently in my hand, turning her around to face me. I kneel down to look into her green eyes, pushing her bright blonde hair behind her ears.

"Kathy, what's up with you?" I say in concern.

She looks down and shrugs, mumbling something else.

"Kathy." I say in a firmer tone.

Her eyes refocus on mine and then fill with tears as she falls forward into my arms. I rub her back as she cries and she begins to explain.

"I'm finally twelve, and I'm entered in the reaping this year, and I don't wanna be, Clove, I'm scared! I know I shouldn't be… I know it's Mary Lou's turn, but- well- you know Mary Lou better than anyone Clove, she's a big meanie! What if I'm picked? What if she doesn't volunteer like she's supposed to? What if I die, Clove, what then?"

I close my eyes for a moment. She has a good point. Mary has had it out for me for as long as I can remember, after all. Why not take it out on my sister? People don't volunteer when it's not their turn. It's simple. There's no reason to. Why volunteer when you could have a greater victory by having more time to train? I take a moment to reassure myself, telling myself that Mary Lou knows the consequences, which are awful.

My grip tightens around Kathryn and I stroke her hair as I say, "It's alright, Kathy. Mary Lou may be a big meanie, but she knows the consequences of not volunteering on her turn. She will volunteer, I promise. And if she doesn't…. then I will, Kathryn, I will not let you die I promise you."

She nods into my shoulder and I feel her relaxing slightly. Gently, I push her back and wipe her tears away with my thumbs. "You have nothing to fear," I whisper, "I'll keep you safe. Now do you want to start getting ready? I can do your hair for you, if you'd like."

Her face brightens up immediately and she nods, running off down the hall. Sighing, I stand up and return to my brothers. To my dismay, Tucker is standing on Henry's shoulders, and Henry is standing on Nick's back. Tucker is bouncing on his toes to try and get the box of… chocolate chips. Of course.

Shaking my head, I pick up Tucker and set him on the ground. Then I take Henry off of Nick's back and pull Nick to his feet by the hand.

"Go on, you three, put on something nice for the reaping."

Nick looks like he's about to argue, but I give him a death glare and he nods, running off to his room with Henry and Tucker right behind him. I then start off towards my own room. I'm walking in when I hear the front door open. It's my mom.

I turn and run to the door, finding a very worn-out brunette standing there. She's shaking her head as though trying to stay awake and leaning against the doorframe. She then notices me and smiles.

"Clove," she murmurs, "sorry I was so late. I meant to be home last night, but there was a meeting that came up and I couldn't miss it."

I shrug and say, "Its fine. I just did what I usually do," I try to hide the bitterness in my tone, "every morning. I got up, fed my little siblings, and had them go get ready."

My mom nods gratefully and stumbles off to her room; probably for a nap before the reaping.

I walk to my room and look at the purple dress hanging on the doorknob of my closet. I take the silky fabric in my hands and remove the dress from its hanger, sliding out of my nightgown and replacing it with the purple dress. I then go into the bathroom, where I stand in front of the mirror and quickly curl my hair.

Soon after I finish, Kathy comes in wearing a yellow sundress, her blonde hair falling in natural waves down her back. I smile and nod, and she walks to the stool in front of the mirror, climbing up on it.

I put her hair in a fishtail braid, then curl it up into a bun, pinning it up with bobby pins. She smiles as I do so and says in a soft voice, "Thanks." I just nod solemnly and say, "We'd better head off soon. The reaping will be starting in a half hour."

I see the panic in her gaze and I immediately regret pointing that out. But I assume it's better that she know now then the moment we have to leave. I shake my head and say, "It's okay, don't worry, it'll be fine I swear."

She seems to calm down a little and walks out of the bathroom into the kitchen. My mother is there, wearing a dark blue dress, with the triplets all in tuxedos chasing each other around.

"Ah, good," she says, "you two are finished. It's time to head out."

We go out and head to the town square, where people are gathering. My mother leads the triplets to the roped off area where the family members too old or too young to be entered stand. I lead Kathryn to the entrance.

I gently push her ahead of me and say, "Don't worry it'll be alright."

I honestly don't know how many times I'm going to have to reassure her. She keeps getting panicked about every mention of the reaping. Luckily, she does alright when they prick her finger and dab the blood off. She then walks off and goes to the group of twelve-year-olds, and I lose sight of her.

Silently, I hold out my hand to the Peacekeeper sitting in front of me. She smiles warmly at me and says, "Clove, great to see you!" I smile back and say, "You too, Rita."

I hardly notice when she pricks my finger and I walk away, waving at her when she waves at me. I then walk to the girls in my age group. A lot of them are gossiping. I see Mary Lou snickering at me from a little way away. Suddenly, I feel a something cold creep up me, sending shivers up my spine. Something's not right. I can feel it. At that moment, I pray that they don't pick Kathryn.

**So? How'd you like it? Please review! Chapter 2 coming soon! I know there's no backstory yet by the way; why her mother is so tired, who her friends are, what her district's usually like, where her father is, etc. etc. but it'll come in later.**


	2. Chapter 2

I stand nervously when a girl with dirty blonde hair comes up and stands beside me. Her hair is up in curled pigtails, stopping at the pale green straps of her dress. The top of her dress is a dark forest green, her skirt a short, flowing silk, the same pale green as her straps. But it's her eyes that give her away; a dark green, different from most of the people in my district. Tia is the only girl I know with eyes like that.

"Hey, Clove!" Tia says, smiling at me. I smile back, though it's forced and I know that she sees right through my attempt. Her smile immediately falls and she places a hand on my shoulder, looking at me curiously, her eyes silently asking for explanation for my strange nervousness.

See, Tia's been my friend since we first started school. Where other girls felt the need to just gossip all the time, we didn't. We both seemed to prefer listening to gossiping, receiving secrets, but never telling. We just didn't see the point in spreading false rumors, the two of us. Everyone else seemed to find it odd. They found us strange for not wanting to tell secrets. This brought us closer. We understood each other. Tia knows me better than my family.

I sigh, giving into her curiosity and I say, "I'm afraid, Tia. Its Kathryn's first year, so she's only in there once, but still… Mary Lou gave me a weird look. I have a hunch that she isn't going to volunteer like she's supposed to. What if I'm picked? What if… what if Kathryn's picked, Tia?" I shake my head. "It's silly I know… but well…"

Tia nods, but she doesn't have time to respond. A woman with neon green hair pulled up into a loose messy bun wearing a ridiculous turquoise gown is standing on the stage, smiling at us as if this should be the best day of our lives. As if.

She introduces herself as Gertrude Mills, and then proceeds to show us the video they show every year about why we have the Hunger Games and about how it's only a way to keep peace. I laugh inwardly at this. It's so not a way to keep peace. It's just a way for the Capitol to say, "HEY! We have power over you and you can't do anything about it! We're killing your children- your friends and family- and there's nothing you can do!" But, being in a Career district, I guess I shouldn't complain. We do get special treatment.

When the video ends, Gertrude approaches the microphone, grinning broadly, her bright blue lipstick and eye shadow making her appearance clownish. She looks at us, a glint in her eyes, proud, like she was born to do this… born to choose kids to be killed and keep them on schedule. Great.

"It's time, it's time, everyone! It's time to pick two very lucky children, a young man and woman, to represent the great District 2 in the 74th annual Hunger Games! Ladies first, ladies first, of course," she says, as she walks over to the huge bowl filled to the brim with little slips of paper. I begin to feel nervous. I look at Kathryn and see that her face is chalk white. Slowly, I cross my shaking fingers.

Gertrude seems to take hours. She glances over us all with a grin, her eyes shimmering, and she holds her hand up in the air. She circles her wrist a few times, and then brings her hand down, gracing the edges of the bowl with the tips of her fingers. Then, she lifts her hand again and puts it into the bowl. She moves her hand around a bit before finally drawing a slip of paper.

I hold my breath as she unfolds it, her eyes scanning whatever the paper says. She looks up from the name and adjusts the microphone before saying the name that makes my heart stop.

"Kathryn Sphar!"

No… no, no, no, no, I think. My eyes move to Mary Lou. She smirks at me and disappears back into the crowd. I feel tears sting my eyes as Kathy puts on a brave face and starts to go up. I take a step back, but then remember my promise. I promised her nothing would happen. My eyes narrow and I look at Tia, who is shaking her head at me. I don't have time to think, though.

"I VOLUNTEER!" I screech as I run forward, pushing Kathy back and narrowing my eyes. Gertrude smiles and claps her hands together; she expected a Career, of course. With an annoyed glare at Mary Lou, I think of how Gertrude had no clue that I am not the right Career.

I make my way up to the stage and I glare out at Mary Lou. People seem to notice this and many people glare at Mary Lou and turn away from her. I can't help but grin at this, but then the next thing I know Gertrude is at my side, holding the microphone so that both of us could be heard in it.

"Tell me, dear, what your name is."

I take a deep breath and say in a soft voice, though it is made louder by the microphone, "Clove Sphar." Gertrude nods and moves to the boy's bowl. I don't hear the name that's called, but as soon as it is I see a strong boy with blond hair and a scowl on his face pushing his way to the front. I realize that this boy was my childhood friend, Cato. Our parents were friends, so we hung out a lot. I smile as one of our many bittersweet memories comes back to me.

_"Clove, come here! Look what I found!" Cato's voice came from behind me. I turned around, 8 years old, and looked at him. He was grinning broadly. He came and sat next to me; we were sitting on a riverbank. I had been looking out at the water curiously. Now my attention was on Cato._

_ He smiled and held out a tiny green leafed plant. I looked at it, knowing immediately that it was a clover. It was soft, a pale green color, with four heart shaped leaves stretching up towards the sun's nurturing light. I smiled; it was pretty… living, like us, with no worries. _

_ "A four leaf clover," Cato said softly to me, "they're supposed to bring good luck. At least, that's what everyone says. And well, I wanna share my luck with you. 'Cause, you know, you're my best friend, and I love you." I smiled brightly. Back then, when we were so young, I love you was something we used all the time. Now that we're older though, it seems so wrong to use it._

_ "Well gosh, thanks Cato," I said, a blush touching my cheeks. He held out his hand that didn't have the clover in it and extended his pinkie, grinning._

_ "Do you pinkie swear we'll be best friends forever?" I linked my pinkie with his; looking him in the eye as I nodded, and then we hugged. _

_ A few minutes later, my mother came up to us, crying. She looked a mess. I wasn't sure what was wrong, but my heart fell nonetheless. She told me on the spot that my dad had died. He had a heart attack from working too hard. The clover was nothing but a distant memory then._

I'm snapped from my thoughts by Cato saying firmly that he was volunteering. He gives me a look that says he wants to talk to me later, but right now there is no time for that. The two of us… best friends forever… would soon be thrown into an arena and be forced to kill each other. I swallow, holding back my tears. I'm a Career. I can't cry. This is what I was born to do.

"Our tributes for District Two, everyone," Gertrude announces joyfully, "Clove Sphar and Cato Ludwig!" I turn to face him and hold out my hand to shake his. He grips my hand firmly and looks me in the eyes, mouthing silently, 'we can get through this together; we pinkie swore.' I smile at this and then Peacekeepers come up and push us apart, sending us off different ways to say our final goodbyes to our friends and families.

I hear cheers coming from behind me and I feel disgusted. Maybe I'm the only one from District Two who feels this way, but honestly, the Hunger Games is gross and horrid. We're being forced to kill other children to please some rich people who do nothing but relax and enjoy themselves. Sighing, I block out the cheering as I enter the room.

When I get into the designated room, I sit down on a couch in the corner, waiting silently for people to begin coming in, though I don't expect there to be many. I look around. The couch I am sitting on is a crimson color, velvet. The walls are painted a pale salmon-pink color and in the opposite corner there is a plush, purple armchair. I'm pretty used to the luxuries of couches and comfortable things like that, but never this fancy. I tell myself to enjoy it, knowing that soon I'll be killing people.

As I sit there, everything hits me at once. I'm about to be in the 74th annual Hunger Games, a year before my turn, I'm not completely prepared, and I'm going to be pitched against my best friend and crush. My family needs me to help out, as I am the oldest. Kathy can't look after the triplets herself, the triplets are crazy, and my mother certainly can't take off any work and look after them all herself.

This certainly isn't going to be easy.

** Here it is guys! I'm so sorry about the wait, I had some writer's block and I forgot that this fanfic existed. But, here we are, chapter 2! I hope you guys like it, I gave you a little background on Clove and Cato, so, enjoy xD. Next chapter will probably be them boarding the train and all that good stuff and meeting their mentor and saying goodbyes. Hopefully, it won't take me four months to update again!  
xoxo**

**Leafdrift**


	3. Chapter 3

**No I don't own THG. Enjoy Chapter 3**

"Clove," I hear an urgent voice say and I look up to see Tia standing in front of me. Tear marks are clear on her face and she is twisting the hem of her dress nervously as she rushes forward and sits beside me on the couch. Another tear slips down her pale cheeks as she takes my hand in hers and looks me in the eyes.

"Clove, you've been my best friend for so long I… you have to win this, you just have to! I need you here Clove. Mary Lou… Mary Lou, that IDIOT… I'm going to KILL her! She thinks she can just NOT volunteer on her turn and leave you to volunteer for your poor little sister, it's so cruel I can't believe that jerk would do something like that can you Clove?"

I smile and say, "It's alright Tia. I'm just as mad at Mary Lou as you are, but she'll get what's coming to her. She knows the consequences for not volunteering on her turn just as well as we do. And of course I'm going to try to win… my family needs me you know." Tia nods at this; she's one of the only ones other than my family and Cato who really know how much trouble my mother and siblings are in.

"I just don't know if I can do it. Cato and I, we've been friends forever- best friends forever, ever since we were little kids." I shake my head before saying softly, "even if I won, would it be worth it without Cato? These games are cruel. The Capitol is cruel. We may be fine but imagine Districts eleven and twelve!" Tia nods in agreement.

"Clove, I want you to win. I know you can. Just know that I believe in you and… should anything… go wrong, my little sister Mariah and I will help your family, alright? We're on your side. I hate the Capitol too," she adds with a grin. We hug and I feel a damp tear hit my shoulder; poor Tia. I didn't think she'd take it so hard.

The Peacekeepers burst in and Tia says, "Clove! Clove don't forget, if you-," she is cut off when the door closes. I sigh, wondering what she was going to say. I suppose I'll never know now. I wait, once again suspended in a strange, suffocating silence, for my next visitor or visitors.

My next visitors come in soon after that; the triplets and Kathy. My mother's probably already gone home. Even though nobody works on the day of the reaping, she has a lot of paperwork to catch up on, as usual. The triplets sit down in front of me, looking up at me sadly and Kathryn sits beside me, hugging me tightly.

Kathryn looks up at me, crying hysterically and says between her sobs, "You… you can't do this, Clove! I'm supposed… supposed to be here, n-not you! I was chosen. Y-you should be v-visiting me. I-I don't want you t-to die b-because of m-me… I need you C-Clove…" she cries into my shoulder as she hugs me. I hold her lightly, gently stroking her hair.

"Don't worry, Kathryn," I say evenly, "I've been training for this. I know what I'm doing. You should not feel bad at all, this was my decision. Remember that, alright? It's not your fault. It's not. Don't cry, please, don't cry for me. I'll try to win for you, I swear, and stop crying for me. I don't want to cry too," I joke, earning a watery grin from Kathy.

"Oh… Clove… I wanted to give you something, to keep you safe in… in the arena," Kathryn says softly. She holds out a hand to me, uncurling the fingers to reveal a small ring. It's a silver serpent, with two small green crystals as the eyes. Kathy smiles and continues speaking, "I traded some of my figurines for it… I want you to wear it in the arena. It'll keep you safe."

I smile and hug her tightly. "Thank you Kathy. Of course I will." The Peacekeepers come in then. I hug Henry, Tucker, and Nick quickly before they are taken away by the Peacekeepers and shoved out the door. I sigh and sit back again, assuming there's nobody else left. But I am mistaken. The door opens a few minutes later and Mrs. Ludwig walks in.

"Clove, my Clove," she cries, hugging me tightly. "I was just talking to Cato, you know," she says before I can say anything, "My two babies… oh my… both in the arena!" she breaks down sobbing and I hug her, patting her back as she cries. I feel tears brimming in my eyes. I can only hold them back for so long.

"It's alright, Mrs. Ludwig," I say softly, "I don't know about him but… I could never kill him." I feel my heart tighten as I say this and it makes it harder to speak as I say, "I-I… if he… if he doesn't win… and I somehow do… I won't be able to live with myself," I whisper honestly. She smiles and sits back, holding my shoulders.

The resemblance between the mother and the son is remarkable, I notice. They both have the same eyes, the same gorgeous blonde hair… I shake my head, knowing I shouldn't think of Cato like that, especially now. I sigh slightly, still struggling to grasp and accept the fact that either I had to die or Cato had to die for the other to live.

"Cato spoke those exact same words," Mrs. Ludwig says in a buttery soft voice. Her eyes are still watery with tears just waiting to fall again. I stare blankly at her and suddenly, it's all so much. Tears begin falling from my eyes in torrents and sobs grip my body as I cling to Mrs. Ludwig. She seems to understand my pain and so she merely sits there, rubbing my back until my sobbing grows quieter and quieter.

Then the Peacekeepers come in. They take Mrs. Ludwig out and leave me alone, with nothing but the faint echo left in the room of Mrs. Ludwig's good luck wish. Sighing, I hear the door open once again a few moments later. In comes Gertrude. She is smiling brightly at me and she claps her hands together excitedly.

"Alright! Are you ready to make the trip to the Capitol, because I know I am! It'll be great fun, really, so don't you be crying there missy! You may be in the Hunger Games, but you're in for a real treat before then! It'll be fun, fun, fun, I promise you that much!" She smiles brightly and with her strange enthusiasm and ridiculous make up I can't help but put on a sheepish grin and stand up, following her out.

As soon as I step into the light of the outside I'm surrounded by Peacekeepers. What, do they think I'm going to run away? What person who volunteers for the Hunger Games is going to run away, especially someone like me, who has been training their whole life for this? I shake off these thoughts and just go with it, getting into the back of a car. Cato is already sitting there, and Gertrude climbs in and sits next to me.

"Now, you two," Gertrude says, leaning over so both of us can hear her, "we won't be in this stuffy car for long; soon we'll be on the train to the Capitol with the other tributes from districts one and three. Of course, you won't get to really meet them until your training sessions, but it's always good to see your competition ahead of time, eh?" She smiles brightly and leans back over, looking out the window and humming softly.

I am aware of Cato looking at me, as though he wants to say something but can't find the words to say to me. I pretend to not notice though, not wanting to make the situation more awkward. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he finally speaks up, saying softly, "You've been crying." I look at him now, and in his eyes I see concern, wondering. He wants to know why I've been crying.

"Your mom came and talked to me," I say simply, "I told her that if you died and I won, I wouldn't be able to live with myself and… she said you said the same thing. I guess, it was all just so much, I had to let some of it out." I shrug as though it's the most normal thing in the world, but still, he seems persistent about something.

"Clove, I didn't just volunteer because it was my turn you know. I volunteered to protect you." I grip the hem of my skirt, my knuckles turning white as I take deep breaths, near hyperventilating, in an attempt to hold back my tears. I shake my head and wait for my emotional wave to calm down before allowing myself to speak softly.

"But Cato…" I say, looking into his eyes, "one of us will have to die for the other to win. I'll never forgive myself if you die for me and I'm forced to live. It wouldn't be fair. This world… this life, it's not fair." I whisper the last part, my voice cracking slightly.

Cato nods, clearly agreeing and says, "You're right, it's not fair. And we are in a tough situation here. But have you ever wondered," his voice drops to keep Gertrude from hearing him, "what if we stood up to the Capitol? What if we defied them, outsmarted them? We could do it, I bet. The last rebellion was 74 years ago! We could win." I stare at him, surprised. He had always been a little Capitol pet, or at least, that's what he seems like most of the time, and it's a real pain in the butt. Now I see that is must have all been an act.

I just nod and, glancing at Gertrude, say, "Hey, can we talk about this later…? We're about to be in the Hunger Games, remember. Besides, this isn't the safest place to be discussing this." He nods and I sit back, looking out the window and watching the land fly by.

Soon after we wrapped up the conversation, we pull up beside a train. I step out and see two other cars pulling up and kids stepping out of them. I see a girl with blond hair and a bright smile standing beside a boy with blond hair like hers but different facial features and eye color. The girl doesn't look like much, but if there's anything I've learned at the academy, it's not to underestimate people. The boy does look like a threat though. Being a Career myself, I assume we'll end up forming an alliance with them.

I don't get to see the tributes from three as Cato and I are ushered into our part of the train too quickly for a good glance around. When I step into the train my mouth drops open. The ground is covered by plush purple carpeting. There are royal blue chairs set up around glass tables. There is one long wooden table covered with all kinds of foods; pastries, fruits, breads, and everything else.

There is a door at the back that leads to our rooms. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. I feel a wave of jealousy towards the people living in the Capitol. Why do people who refuse to lift a finger to help anyone get luxuries like this? But I can't stay upset for long. Everything is so grand, so amazing that I can't help but feel excited. I can't believe that I thought Gertrude was over exaggerating about the luxury. She must have been under exaggerating, really.

Gertrude walks up to me smiling and says, "See? I told you it'd be great. You'll love the Capitol, I'm sure you will! Now, you go settle down and I'm going to fetch Eva." I nod to her, beginning to get annoyed by her high-pitched, joyful Capitol accent, and I'm glad when she leaves to find our mentor. I walk over to one of the armchairs and sit in it, looking out the window as things whip by too quickly for me to make out what they are.

Cato sits beside me and says, "Gertrude says she's going to get Eva, you know. Apparently she's the most experienced victor in our district, so she's going to mentor us." I roll my eyes at this. Eva is a short girl with brown hair that she often wears in a ponytail. She has cold icy blue eyes and pale skin, and hardly ever speaks. She frightens many of the younger students at the academy, but she doesn't frighten me. She's not as great as everyone thinks.

I definitely wouldn't say she's the most experienced victor. She's only 22, and there are forty year old victors who are very wise and had better tactics for winning their games. Plus, Eva has a habit of getting drunk right before attempting to teach people at the academy. Needless to say, she causes more injuries than the inexperienced students cause themselves.

"Most experienced victor? As if," I mutter, grinning when I earn a smile from Cato. Just then, Gertrude walks back in, leading Eva who looks bored out of her mind. Eva sits down across from Cato and I and eyes us for a moment.

"Hm. We got a puny girl with spirit and knife throwing skill and a strong boy with anger management and muscle, or so that's what I've gotten from you two at the academy. Not much, I feel like it'll be pointless teaching you two anything if you're just going to die-,"

I interrupt her, getting angrier as she speaks, "And how do you know we don't have other things up our sleeves that we just haven't done in front of you, huh? I'm not as puny as I look, you know, and Cato doesn't have anger management." I glare at her and she stares back with a pleasant smile on her face and a glint in her eyes.

"I knew you had spirit kid. I'm gonna go, I'll teach you guys stuff tomorrow, I'm pretty damn tired right now, and I'll think about how much I'm gonna teach you. I'm beginning to think you two might show some promise… more than the tributes last year, at least." She walks out with that, slamming the door to the car with our rooms behind her.

I look at Cato and he stares at me with a surprised look. "That was fast," he says slowly. I grin and nod, sitting back before responding.

"I have that sort of effect on people," I joke, "I just can't stand that a drunk like her has the nerve to call me puny and say you have anger issues. And then she goes and says we're going to die? We've been raised for this, and those tributes from one don't look like much if you ask me. Hopefully I knocked some sense into her head."

Cato shakes his head and says with a chuckle, "She was right about your spirit." I roll my eyes slightly, but can't help smiling. My worry about this has completely left me. Cato's speech about outsmarting the Capitol reassured me slightly, and the more I think about it, the more it occurs to me that we're Careers. If anyone has a chance at winning, it's us. I just hope our mentor knows what she's doing.

**Hope you guys liked it =D PLEASE review! I haven't gotten any reviews for the last chapter yet and it sort of makes me disappointed… if you're not going to review something nice, at least tell me what I can do to make it better. I really love this fanfic and I want to know if you guys do too. Always review!**

** Chapter 4 will either be out today or later this week. I have PSSA tests this week so if Chapter 4 isn't out today, it may not be out until Friday or Saturday but I'll do my best to write it before then =)**

** Review, review, review, and if you like the story, show others! If I get enough fans by the end of this I'll write Catching Fire and Mockingjay with Clove instead of Katniss =D**

**XOXO  
Leafdrift**


	4. Chapter 4

Cato and I sit in silence for a while before Gertrude hurries in, still wearing her disturbingly joyous smile. Only this time, she's wearing a metallic green top and the same color skirt and flats. Her lipstick is now a deeper green and her eyelashes have green streaks- probably from green mascara.

"Cato, Clove, my dears, dinner's in ten. You might want to head to your rooms and wash up and change before coming to eat! Dinner is in the third car for us!" She goes through the doors that lead to the dining room and I stand up, going to my own room to leave Cato to decide what he wants to do on his own.

When I enter my room, I am once again shocked. There is a plush white bed in a corner next to a lamp. Across from it is a fancy dresser with a mirror hanging above it. The carpet is the same as the carpeting in the main car, only the carpeting in this room is crimson. I make my way over to the dresser and pull the top drawer, looking in it for something nice but comfortable to wear.

I eventually settle for a gray and white striped cardigan and jeans. I take a brush off the dresser and brush out my curled hair, leaving it wavy soft. As soon as I'm finished Gertrude comes knocking in the door. I open the door and she smiles brightly at me… as usual.

"You ready to go?" She asks happily, earning a nod from me. She walks down into the main car and I follow her, looking out the windows as I go. I don't recognize anything; it's far too fast to make out where we might be. We enter the dining car and I see a wooden table, much like the one with little snacks only larger. At the table are Eva and Cato. Gertrude settles next to Eva and I sit next to Cato.

Two people in white come out and place silver plates on the table and another brings out plates of food; chicken, spinach, clam chowder along with bowls, and mashed potatoes. The three people are Avoxes, I'm sure, people who've had their tongues cut off and are forced to work for the Capitol for committing a crime. It's inhumane, but if someone were to say that to President Snow he'd make them an Avox.

The first two Avoxes are girls; one is shorter than the other with light blond hair and blue eyes. The other one has brown hair and bright green eyes. The third is a boy with dusty red hair and blue eyes. The blond and the redhead have similar facial features, and given their eye color, I wonder if they are related. But I know better than to ask. Avoxes are just servants, and that's the end of it.

As we pile our plates with food I feel my mouth watering. My family never has this much food, even though we live in District Two. My mom had a chance to be rich when I was younger… but she married my dad. When my dad died, she didn't have that opportunity anymore. Now we struggle to get by. Cato actually is the only one who knows this other than my mother and Kathy. We don't tell the triplets because they're too young to understand.

I start scarfing down food as neatly as possible, trying not to look like a pig but still trying to eat as much as I can. Eva is drinking vodka and I inwardly roll my eyes at this. It's just like her; it's just like her to drink alcohol at times like these. Cato, like me, is stuffing his face. Lucky Cato; he can stuff his face without worrying about how lady like he looks, I think with a smile. Eventually, I sit back, too stuffed to eat any more food.

"Wow," I mutter under my breath and see Cato grin at me through the corner of my eye. I smirk back and watch as Gertrude tightly and neatly fold the napkin that was on her lap and sets it on the table, grinning broadly. She looks at Eva and I get the feeling she's going to start a conversation with our so-called mentor. Not wanting to put up with the drunk, I ask Gertrude a question before she can speak to Eva.

"So, Gertrude, when are we going to arrive at the Capitol?" I ask, honestly curious but not caring too badly to know when. I decide that the information could be useful enough, though, so I might as well ask that as opposed to something like, say, Gertrude's fashion, which still makes me want to puke.

"Oh," Gertrude says, looking to Cato and I. "We'll be arriving at the Capitol tomorrow morning around eleven. I'll wake you two up at nine; breakfast is at ten. When we arrive in the Capitol, you will be sent to your prep teams. Your prep teams are you have you bathed and prepared. Then you will be clothed and dolled up for the chariot parade; all of this will be done by 5. The chariots leave at 6. We won't be at the Capitol until eleven, though, because we need to make a few stops tonight."

I certainly didn't expect that but now I know that I don't have any more questions about the schedule, that's for sure. I nod when Gertrude finishes speaking and stand up, announcing that I'm going to my room. I ought to see what else is in there other than the dresser and the bed; I haven't really looked in the bathroom yet.

When I get into my room I sit on the plush bed and look around. I realize now that I didn't cry much earlier. I guess I was too caught up in everything to have the time to cry. Now, as I sit here, with the unfamiliar scents and strange perfection of Capitol life, I allow it all to wash over me. I let it all flow over me like a river, the pain, the surprise, the horror.

I'm not ready. It wasn't my year to volunteer. I was still supposed to have another year to train and prepare. I might never see my home again. I might never see my brothers and sister again. I might never see my mother again. I didn't even get to properly say goodbye. Now I never will. I'm going to die. I'm going to die, or I'll have to end up killing my oldest friend. A strangled sob sounds in the air and it takes me a moment to realize it's my own.

The next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground, sobbing hysterically as tears run in torrents down my cheeks. I begin to scream, grabbing things off the dresser and chucking them at the walls; I won't be surprised if there are dents there. I find a butter knife and I fling it with all of my strength at nothing in particular. I hear a thud and blurrily see it get lodged in the wooden bed stand.

Everything seems to happen so quickly, unnaturally fast. I think I must have been hyperventilating from crying so much, but suddenly there is a quick rush of dizziness in my head. I black out for a moment, falling to the ground and remaining there, my tears soaking the carpet.

When I'm finally done with my tantrum, nothing but stray tears left falling down my cheeks, I blink a few times and realize that I'm being held tightly, my head resting against Cato's chest, and that my arms are wrapped around his neck. I whimper softly, clinging more tightly to Cato, wanting all of the pain and sorrow to just go away.

"Shh, Clove," he murmurs softly, "I'm here. It's ok. It's ok." His voice is gentle, his usually bone-crushing grip soft and caring. I shake my head slightly, my bottom lip quivering as I keep myself from continuing to cry.

"No," I whisper, "It's not ok. I'm not ready for this Cato." Cato pulls me closer and just holds me there, not saying anything more apart from the occasional shush whenever I start to sob again. He gently runs a hand through my hair and finally my tears stop falling, and I just lay there, my eyes blank and empty as I stare at the wall. Cato then leans down and whispers to me.

"It is ok, Clove. You're more ready than you know. Believe me, you can do this." I sigh and close my eyes, listening to his heart's steady beat and allowing the sound to soothe me a bit more before I reply.

"I'm glad you're here," I murmur softly, "I mean, not glad that I'm going into the Hunger Games with you, but glad that you're here and can comfort me instead of some stranger who would just laugh at my crying." I look up to see Cato smiling down at me softly.

Cato responds, "And I'm happy that you are. You know how I was saying we could outsmart the Capitol? I meant it, Clove. We can, and we will. We can win this; we can get through it. _Together._" Something about the way he says together sends shudders through my body, and I feel my heart quicken. Could I be… no, no, that's crazy. I'm not in love with my best friend.

Cato helps me stand up and says, "Clove, it's late. We both need to rest. Tomorrow's going to be big. If you need anything, my room's right across from here." I nod and he begins walking out. I turn to the dresser and begin to pull out a silky nightgown when a sudden wanting comes over me.

"Cato, wait," I say before he can fully finish exiting. "Will you… will you stay with me, at least until I fall asleep tonight?" My voice trembles and I inwardly curse myself for sounding so weak in front of him. But he just smiles and nods, turning around and walking back over to the bed where he sits down. I smile slightly.

"I'm going to change; I'll be back in a minute," I say, going into the bathroom to change. I slide into the pajamas and look at myself in the mirror. My eyes are still red and puffy from crying so much, so I splash some water on my face. I then dry the water off with a soft white towel and walk back into the room. With light movements, I slide under the covers of the bed and rest my head on the pillow. Cato sits beside me and holds my hand. Once again, I feel a tingly feeling run through me and my heart skips a beat.

I close my eyes and grip Cato's hand a little, smiling as I fall asleep with my hand in his.

When I wake, Cato is gone. I look around for a moment, forgetting where I am for a moment before everything from the previous day rushes back on me. I feel a wave of embarrassment hit me as I recall the temper tantrum I threw. I sigh and slide out of bed, just in time to hear Gertrude calling loudly to rise and shine before hurrying off.

Tiredly, I fish around in the drawer of clothes until I find something nice to wear. I then fold it neatly and stumble into the bathroom, where I begin to run a shower. I stand under the hot water for quite some time, letting it fully wake me up. Once I am awake enough, I scrub my hair and body clean and rinse off before stepping out and taking a towel, drying myself off.

I change into a pair of skinny jeans and a plain white shirt with a braided hem and neck line. I dry off my hair and throw it into a side ponytail before putting on a pair of white flats and walking out to the main train car. When I get there, I see Cato and Gertrude. Eva hasn't showed up yet. Well, that figures.

Silently, I sit next to Cato and cast him a sideways glance. I want to thank him for staying with me the night before, but with Gertrude there I feel like now isn't a good time. So I merely sit there in awkward silence as we wait for breakfast.

A few moments later, the silence is broken as Eva stumbles in, half drunk. She blinks a lot and mumbles, "Breakfast yet? I didn't miss it did I?" She stumbles in the rest of the way and sits down beside Gertrude, who shies away from her with a rather disgusted look. I can't help but snicker. I notice Cato perk up as Eva sits down and the Avoxes come out with breakfast.

As the Avoxes serve us, Cato says beside me in an eager voice, "So, Eva, can you start giving us tips on how to survive in the arena?" I look at Eva, now mildly curious as well as to what tips she might have to offer us. But to my dismay, she scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"You kids," she snarls, "are district 2 volunteers. You're careers. I'll send you things you get from sponsors, but that's it. No tips. If you die in the Hunger Games, then all I have to say is good riddance! Either you volunteer a victor, or you volunteer a failure. If you volunteer too early, that's your own fault. The trainers are very wise when they choose what year people are going to volunteer. If you volunteer before your year, you're very likely to die."

Everything she says at the end is like a slap in the face to me. I look down, still not speaking a word. I volunteered before my time, and I'm sure she knows that. Part of me thinks that the only reason she said that at all was to take a jab at me. Sighing, I look at my options for breakfast on the table.

As I go to reach for sausage I hear Gertrude clear her throat and say, "Very… er… wise, words, Eva." Eva nods, grinning. I put a few pieces of sausage on my plate as well as a waffle and I pour syrup over it. Gertrude and Eva suddenly break into conversation and I continue to hold my silence.

Cato puts a hand on my shoulder and I look up at him. His eyes are sympathetic and I narrow my eyes.

"You don't need to sympathize for me," I say in a stony voice. It then softens as I say, "By the way, Cato, thanks… about last night. It meant a lot to me." He smiles and replies in the same soft tone, trying to keep Eva and Gertrude from listening in.

"Any time Clove. I came here with the intentions of keeping you safe, and that's what I'm going to do, I promise." I nod and we both go back to eating. But as I do, I have an uneasy feeling, like there is still something that is being left unsaid. As soon as I finish I look at Cato.

"Cato…" I say, still not entirely certain of my words, "I know I'm small, and I know I'm not supposed to be in the Hunger Games quite yet, but you know me; I can throw a knife better than anyone else in Panem… I'll try to protect you too." He nods with a soft 'agreed.'

Then he stands up abruptly and runs to the window of the train. "Look, Clove!" He says, smiling brightly, and I can't help but smile too. Out the window are the most amazing buildings I've ever seen, with beautiful waterfalls. I wander over and soon, we see a lot of strange people looking at us. Doing what we've been trained to do, we both wave to them, and they smile and wave back.

"The Capitol," Cato breathes, "I always knew it'd be great but I never imagined it'd be this big!" I glance at Gertrude and see that she is smiling with pride for the city she came from. But despite my admiration for the Capitol, I feel like a heavy weight was just dropped on me. I realize we're far from District 2 now. As of now…

The rush of the Hunger Games has begun.

**Sooo? Was it good? I hope it was, I was up almost until midnight writing it, haha! Please review guys =) Tell me what you think! And feel free to share ideas. I'm open to anything you guys might have to offer! So we're seeing some serious Clato in this chapter *-* And guess what? …They're just going to fall more in love from here lol! So, enjoy chapter 4, chapter 5 should be up soon! =D  
xoxo  
Leafdrift**


	5. Chapter 5

Soon we pull up at the train station and step out of the doors. Bright light hits my eyes and I wince for a moment, before adjusting. If it weren't for the Peacekeepers everywhere, we'd probably have been mauled by Capitol citizens by now. Peacekeepers surround Cato and I within moments and I don't see really where we're going.

We walk into a large building with huge glass windows in which we can see people bustling about. I recognize this as the building with the prep rooms. Looking around when we first enter a lobby, I see the district 1 kids again and the kids from district 12 and district 11. The district 12 boy looks like an easy target, I think, but the girl looks pretty tough. The boy from district 11 looks strong too… and I actually feel a little fear looking at him. But the girl is also an easy target; 12 year old, clearly.

Quickly, we go into separate rooms to be prepared for the opening ceremonies. My prep team begins to clean me; they wash my hair and scrub my body of any dirt. Shaving is unnecessary; being a Career district, we have razors and such. I don't complain, I just sit there and listen to them ramble about how soft my hair is, or how pretty my eyes are. None of it is true… or at least, I don't think it is. I was born to kill, not to be pretty.

After a while, when they seem satisfied, a girl with bright neon green hair smiles and says, "Beautiful, dear, absolutely beautiful! You'll stun 'em, you will. By the way, the name's Tessa, and she," she motions to the girl with bright pink lipstick and purple hair with black streaks, "is Terra. The boy," she indicates to the boy with bright red hair and blue eyes, with red tattoos all over his body, "is Rocky. We're so proud to be your prep team; now, we'll send in Haylei, your stylist."

They leave the room and I just sit in a chair awkwardly, waiting for the stylist to come in. Finally, after waiting, a girl comes in with long red hair. Her eyes are lined with golden crystals. Her eyelashes are the same gold, and she is wearing a red shirt and a hot pink skirt with frills. Too girl for my liking, but I don't mention that.

Haylei smiles when she sees me and says, "Lovely, your prep team did a nice job on you. You'll be sure to win lots of sponsors." I give a polite smile in return to her words. She smirks and says, "Playing quiet and polite, are we now, my dear? Go ahead and talk. I meet all sorts of people in the Capitol, all sorts of obnoxious people at that, you certainly can't offend me or annoy me, rest assured."

"Oh… um… okay…" I say slowly, not entirely sure how to respond. Haylei walks over to the wall and presses a button; a glass table rises up from the ground and two chairs rise up as well. Haylei looks up at me as she sits down and smiles brightly.

"Well come on, you want lunch, don't you?" I nod and sit across from her at the little table. She presses another button and soon two Avoxes come in carrying plates of food. They set them down before us and walk out. I eat rather quickly, not really paying attention to what it is I'm eating. Part of me is excited about getting our outfits for the chariots, and I suppose that's what's driving me to eat so quickly.

"So, my dear, I heard you volunteered for your sister? And, that it wasn't even your year to volunteer." Haylei says this in an easy voice, as though it's the most casual thing in the world to bring up. Maybe it is in the Capitol; they don't understand the hell we go through for them.

I nod and respond, "Yes, I volunteered for my sister… and you're right that it wasn't my year to volunteer. I was supposed to volunteer next year… To be totally honest, I'm sort of afraid. I mean, it's a great honor to be in the Hunger Games and all but… what if I'm not ready, you know?" She nods in a knowing way, though I know that the knowingness is just an act.

"Clove Sphar," Haylei says in a soft voice, "your name is well-known. I'll let you in on a little secret; help you shake some of those nerves. That Mary Lou… she wasn't ready to be in the Hunger Games, no, not at all. The trainers told us here at the Capitol that they just wanted to get rid of her, because she's too cocky for her own good." I shudder at this. I don't like Mary Lou, but I didn't know the trainers at the academy could be so… cruel.

"Originally, you were to volunteer this year. They thought you were beyond ready, and from the messages we've been getting, they're actually glad that you volunteered and not Mary Lou- though, Mary Lou was punished. If anyone has a chance at winning these games… it's you, Clove. Your knife-throwing skills are spectacular. I have no doubt in my mind that you will exceed your district's expectations."

I smile; in a way, Haylei is very kind. In a few minutes, she finishes eating. The Avoxes come out and take our dishes and we stand. Haylei presses the button again and the table and chairs fold on their own and become nothing but tiles on the floor. Haylei then turns to me and smiles brightly.

"Let's get you into your outfit for the chariots! Now, masonry district, I tried to spice up what you usually wear and I think I have something that will blow the rest of Panem's minds." She walks out of the room and comes back a moment later with a gold, metal dress. It has intricate feather-like parts going up the chest, and long feather-like pieces forming the skirt part. In the other hand, she has a golden helmet with wings on either side… like a Roman warrior.

I grin and breathe, "Wow. You really did spice it up." Usually, the outfit we where is just a simple thing… but this, this is amazing. She helps me get into it and then shows me to a mirror. It's beautiful, but also strong-looking, and I think it couldn't possibly be better. She hands me gold-painted shoes and I put them on, completing the outfit.

"You're lovely, my dear, absolutely lovely," Haylei says, smiling as she comes to stand beside me. Then, she says, "We ought to go and meet Cato. He's already ready." I nod and we walk out. We go to where the chariots are lining up and see Cato already standing there. He smiles at me and I smile back; he is wearing a similar outfit, only it's not a dress. As opposed to a helmet, there is simply a strip of gold metal that rests on his head with wings on it.

We look over to District 12; huh, at least they're not naked. The two of them are dressed in some black coal get-up, and it's shimmery. I catch parts of their conversation with their stylist and mentor, and as far as I can tell, they have something great planned. Or at least, that's what the stylist says.

I look at the other tributes, and I can't help feeling a sense of pride. Our outfits are so much… brighter than all of theirs, shimmering gold. And their outfits don't make them look tough. Ours do. I am aware of Cato inching closer to me, and as we stand, looking around, I feel his hand link with mine. I look at him in surprise, but he's still looking around as if nothing happened.

I decide to just go with it and then we are told to get in the chariots. We climb into ours, and I notice that our horses are beautiful bays, and that their ankles have gold bands with little wings on them, completing our look. We are about to go off, when I see District 12 go up in flames. My eyes widen in surprise when, instead of burning, the fire just flies around them. Anger seizes me.

I grip Cato's hand tighter and grit my teeth, calming myself by reminding myself that we're District 2; the Capitol already loves us and they haven't even seen us yet. I am hardly aware of when the chariots begin to go; but when they do, I look toward the people of the Capitol and wave, smiling as they cheer while we pass. I hear vaguely the announcers saying that they love our outfits, and something else, though it's hard to hear over the roar of the Capitol.

A smile graces my lips as I wave to the sponsors, catching a few flowers as they throw them in our direction. One flower I catch is a soft, plain water lily. I examine it for a moment, admiring the simple beauty of it. Then I allow it to drop from my hand as our chariot pulls up next to District 1's in the front semicircle around President Snow's balcony.

We stand still, looking up in our chariot as the other district's chariots pull up around us. I feel the same boiling anger in my chest as before when I hear very loud screams when District 12 pulls up in the second semicircle. I look over at the people beside us, District 1, and the blonde girl with a huge pink feathery headpiece waves to me, smiling brightly. I wave back, knowing I'll probably end up allying with her, since she is a Career too.

Just then, President Snow clears his throat, and everyone falls silent, as his microphone is by far louder than the announcer, Caesar Flickerman's. We all look back up at him and the sponsors look up eagerly as well. He clears his throat again and begins to speak.

"Welcome!" he says and the sponsors cheer. "Welcome, tributes, we welcome you." Once again, the sponsors cheer. He continues, "We salute your courage and your sacrifice. And we wish you a happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" The sponsors cheer again, louder than ever, and our chariots are pulled out of the area and into a smaller room.

As soon as we enter the smaller room, Avoxes rush over and pat down the horses, before unclipping them from the chariot and leading them away. Eva, Gertrude, and Haylei walk over to us, all wearing large smiles of pride and joy. Gertrude looks especially happy, practically jumping.

"Oh, you two were wonderful! The sponsors simply adored you. I have no doubt in my mind that you'll both do great." She smiles broadly. I bow my head, smiling before looking up at the three women and responding.

"Thank you Gertrude." I look at Cato, who is eyeing the District 1 girl with a rather dreamy expression and I get an annoyed sensation. How dare he? We're too good of friends to fall in love this quickly with someone else… right? I see Cato's eyes move to the people from District 12 and I look at them too. I catch wisps of their conversation, not totally surprised to hear that the capes were fake fire.

I am shaken from my eavesdropping by Eva who says, "You know, you two looked really brave and strong out there. I thought I had doubts about you, but I feel like you guys might be showing some promise. Maybe I will give you some pointers here and there." I nod my gratefulness and Cato turns his attention to the rest of us; I notice that the people from District 12 have left.

Haylei says, "Well, you were both wonderful, and I'm sure you'll get lots of sponsors. I'm proud to be your stylist. Perhaps we should go up to our floor; eat some dinner and head to bed. Tomorrow's the first day of training, don't want to be late now do we?"

Cato shakes his head and I respond with a no. So all five of us go to the elevator and go up to the next floor of the building. When we get there, we enter a hallway with two doors on either side. One door says DISTRICT ONE in pale pink print. The other one says DISTRICT TWO in crimson print. We head through the door that has our district on it.

When we enter, there is a large room with two small alcoves in the side walls. In the front of the large room is a long table with a white table cloth and strange looking chairs. The table is set with plates, cups, and silverware and all down the center of the table are pitchers with different kinds of drinks and platters of food. Behind that section of the room are long pillars and three steps, leading down to a lower area with couches and armchairs in front of a flat screen TV.

In the alcove to the left, there are two rooms that say MALE TRIBUTE on one door and FEMALE TRIBUTE on the other. In the alcove to the right, there are three rooms, one that says STYLIST on the door, one that says ESCORT on the door, and one that says MENTOR.

We sit at the long table and begin loading our plates with food. We begin eating, Gertrude still smiling broadly. Eva is no longer smiling, though her eyes betray her hope and pride, and Haylei has a small ghost of a smile on her face. Cato has a rather stony expression.

Suddenly Cato says, "I realized tonight how excited I am. I mean, I was born to do this, you know? I can't wait for the games themselves to really start, when we get put in the arena." I look up, feeling a little surprised, though I don't know why. Gertrude and Eva are nodding, and Haylei still has her little smile.

"Now, that's the kind of optimism and courage I like to hear, Cato. And Clove, I assume you're just as excited for the games," Eva says, looking at me. Not wanting to get on her bad side again, I give a small nod, hoping that my face doesn't look too pale. Shock tends to make me look paler, and Cato's words certainly gave me quite a bit of shock.

Eva chuckles and says, "My, my, you two are really starting to look like real District Two Careers. I have high hopes for the two of you, high hopes indeed."

Now I just stare at my plate, and the other half of my food that I haven't eaten yet. I suddenly don't feel hungry anymore. They act like this is a humane thing… like there's not a chance that we're going to die. They're actually excited about this. Not to say that I'm not at all; of course I am. I was born for this. But at least I still consider the fact that I might not win.

I feel sick to my stomach, and I begin to feel dizzy. I shut my eyes and mumble, "I'm going to… uh… go to my room… see what it's like." I stand up abruptly and walk quickly into my room, slamming the door behind me. I feel the choking sensation in my throat, and my eyes burn and water. A few tears fall, but I don't break into hysterical sobs like I did the last time I cried.

I stare at the screen on the wall which shows the Capitol at night. I pick up a strange looking remote off the bedside table and press a button. The scene changes to the Tribute Training Academy for Future Careers. I press the button again and it becomes a picture of… no way. The remote drops from my hand and I walk towards the screen.

It's an image of a rushing stream with a rocky bank and a willow tree growing beside it. And carved, right there, in the trunk of the willow tree is a heart that says Cato and Clove 3 Best Friends Forever. How long has this image been on the screen and remote, I wonder? I still remember when we wrote that, and I start to have a flashback.

_I climb the tree, climbing higher and higher, laughing as I go. I hear Cato's worried voice call from below, "Clove, don't climb up so high! It's only a willow tree; the branches won't be able to support you that high up." But I don't listen to him. I want to get to the top of the tree. I want to see what I can see from up there._

_ I am reaching for the topmost branch when my foot slips on the flimsy branch below me. I wave my arms, attempting to grab a branch, but my hands can't seem to get a grip on anything but air. I scream as I fall headfirst towards the stone-covered bank of the stream below me. I expect to hit my head off the rocks and get seriously hurt when I feel something- someone- catch me._

_ Slowly, I open my eyes that I wasn't aware were closed and I see Cato holding me. I feel a blush creep up my cheeks and I look down at the ground as Cato sets me back on my feet. I mutter a soft apology and hear him laugh._

_ "It's no problem Clove. That's what friends are for. Besides, you falling meant that I got a chance to hold you."_

_ A few days later, we're splashing in the stream, laughing as the water tickles our skin. It is all good fun until Cato slips. He gasps, and I lunge forward, grabbing his hand and pulling him upright. He grins sheepishly._

_ "Sorry; I lost my balance," He mutters softly. I smile brightly and respond just like he had._

_ "It's no problem Cato. That's what friends are for. Besides, you falling meant that I got a chance to hold your hand."_

_ After that, we climb up to the bank and sit by the tree. I take one of my knives that I got from the other day, which had been my first day at the Academy as an eight year old. I carve a heart in the tree and set the knife down. Then Cato picks it up and carves inside the heart. _

_ "Cato and Clove," it says, "3 Best Friends Forever."_

Smiling at the memory, I leave that picture up. I pull out a drawer of the dresser and find a nightgown. I slip into it and take a pillow from the bed as well as a soft blanket. I set the pillow next to the picture of the tree trunk and wrap myself up in the blanket.

I curl up on the hard ground, leaning against the pillow and placing my hand on the screen where the tree is. Closing my eyes with a smile, I fall asleep there, imagining falling asleep with Cato by our tree.

** Meh. This would've been better, but my computer crashed and I lost half of it, so I had to rewrite it, giving me less time to really work on it. Well, enjoy xD! Please review, and share it with others =) I hope you like this chapter; hopefully the next chapter, training, and maybe interviews, depending on how long the chapter is—I might split it into to—will be more interesting. Thanks for reading; I don't own the Hunger Games.**

**xoxo**

**Leafdrift**


	6. Chapter 6

Gertrude knocks on my door in the morning to wake me up. I open my eyes slowly, blinking a few times as they make out the image of the tree. I slide into a sitting position, letting the blanket drop from my shoulders. I pick it up and set it back on the bed, as well as the pillow.

Sighing, I press the power button on the remote and the screen turns black altogether. I see a training uniform hanging on the wall; I don't recall it being there before, so I assume I must have just missed it. I go and take it off the hook, hanging it up in my bathroom before taking a shower, admiring the fanciness of the technology. With a stab of annoyance, I realize that they probably have a surplus of things like this here, yet the districts, the ones who actually provide for them, don't get anything.

Shaking my head, I let the water rush over me, the scalding heat waking me up from my drowsy state. I don't even have to do anything but press buttons. I merely stand in the shower and it washes my body and hair, even combing through my hair with faster-moving streams of water. Eventually, the water stops, and the shower blow-dries my hair, sweeping it back into a soft flow when the dryer turns off.

I step out of the shower and dry off, changing into the training uniform and putting my hair up. I then walk out into the main room, where Cato is sitting with Eva, Gertrude, and Haylei. I sit next to Cato, as usual, and we eat a quick breakfast. Then Gertrude looks up and speaks up.

"Training starts in thirty minutes. You'll train until three, with a fifteen minute lunch break. Dinner is at four thirty, and you start getting ready for interviews at five. Prep for the interview is at six, interviews start at seven, alright?" I nod.

Eva looks up and says, "If I can suggest something, when you two are training, start with things you are good at. Show off a bit. Make the other tributes fear you. Then, spend as much time as you can on things you aren't good at. Everything you can do is important in the arena."

"Thanks for the tip, Eva," Cato says, smiling politely. I sit still in polite silence; it still unnerves me how they acted at dinner the night before. I don't think I can shake the thought from my mind, ever. I wait for everyone to finish up. When we do, Gertrude stands up and looks at Cato and me.

"Well, we ought to head to the training room. Shall we?" We exchange a glance and stand up, following her out and to the elevator. She presses a button and we start going up. After a few floors, the elevator stops and two people step in; then it continues on. It's the little district eleven girl and the boy. Subconsciously, I move closer to Cato, and I feel his hand rest softly on my back.

When the elevator opens again, we all step out into the training room. I look around and my eyes immediately catch on the area where there is a set of gleaming knives and dummies practically begging to be hit. But I know that I'm not to start practicing yet. I see a few others hanging around in a corner, waiting for our instructor. Cato and I walk over to them.

The tributes from one are there. The girl walks over to me as soon as we stop and smiles brightly. Already, I feel slightly sickened. Her lips are glossy, and it looks like she put on way too much makeup for training. She has a glint in her eyes that makes me shudder. She holds out her hand and speaks.

"I'm Glimmer! And you're Clove, right?" I nod, taking her hand and shaking it. Her smile grows wider.

"So, I guess we're already allies without even asking," I say calmly. She giggles and nods. She seems naïve, nice enough, but I know not to fall for something like that so quickly. But, I decide to give into her kindness for the time being; she can't backstab me if the games haven't even started yet.

We stand as more people show up and walk over for a little while, and then Glimmer nudges me and points to the boy from her district, snickering as he looks away quickly when I look over.

"Marvel won't admit it," Glimmer says, "but I think he likes you. Or at least, he likes what you come off as." I grin and look back from Marvel to Glimmer.

She's grinning as well and I say, "Wonder how he'll like me when I'm throwing deadly knives." We both chuckle a little and then I realize that all of the tributes are here. I see a woman and a few Peacekeepers walking up. The woman smiles as she approaches us. The talking and laughter dies down when she clears her throat.

"Hello, tributes, I'm here to set some ground rules for the training sessions, and give you some pointers. In two weeks, twenty three of you will be dead. One of you will be alive. Who that will be depends on how well you pay attention over the next for days, particularly to what I'm about to say. First, no fighting with the other tributes, there'll be plenty of time for that in the arena. There are four compulsory exercises. The rest will be individual training.

"My advice is, don't ignore the survival skills. Everyone wants to grab a sword, but most of you will die from natural causes; ten percent from infection, 20 percent from dehydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife." I smirk a little; I shouldn't have that problem; the Careers always end up with most of the things in the Cornucopia.

With that, she walks off and watches from the sidelines, and we break off to practice. I walk over to the knives first, of course, and look at the rack with all of the knives on them. There are so many… ones with special designs, some with special handles. I take four plain, small knives and turn to the dummies. I glance at the people behind me and my smirk grows.

They're looking at me with amusement in their eyes; they think I must not be that good; after all, I'm small, and I chose four basic knives. I must be insane, they probably think. Oh, but they're wrong. Quickly, I throw two of the knives. They hit two different dummies' targets, dead center, almost simultaneously. I then whip around and throw the other two, hitting two different dummies- one of them with a moving target.

When I turn back to the people in line to practice with knives, they have looks of shock and bewilderment on their faces. I give a soft chuckle and feel especially proud when I see the girl from twelve looking at me fearfully. A brave girl fears me. The girl on fire is afraid of me.

I'm snapped out of my pride when I hear Cato yelling from the next station over, "HE TOOK MY KNIFE!" I glance over and see Peacekeepers trying, to no avail, to hold Cato back from murdering a boy from another district- a Career district, too. I rush over; the Peacekeepers don't know Cato like I do.

I place a hand on Cato's shoulder and can practically feel my eyes turn icy. I look at him and say softly, "Cato, calm down. He didn't take your knife, its fine; they have doubles of almost every knife here." Cato still has his teeth gritted, but the wild look leaves his eyes and he calms a bit, nodding at me in thanks. I smile back and walk back over to the knife-throwing area.

I spend quite a while there before moving onto other stations. The day goes by in a blur; I'm good at pretty much everything. I'm clever, quick, and I have good aim; Plus, I'm no idiot when it comes to herbs and how to find water and shelter and making traps.

We have a quick lunch and its right back to training. Before I know it, I'm standing with Cato and the rest of our allies, watching the boy from twelve making a fool of himself. I see the girl kneel down beside him and he gets up and walks over to the heavy javelins. He picks one up, and throws it with surprising strength.

Marvel mutters, "If we ally with that boy, we could get to the girl on fire faster, and kill them both." Cato nods slowly, seriously considering it, and then nods quicker, showing that he agrees. I have no comment; I decide that I'd better not point out that he may try to get us away from her instead; I don't want the rest of the Careers turning against me. I'd be screwed.

Glimmer and Marvel leave to talk to Peeta and the other Careers disperse to different areas. I realize that it's the first time all day that I've been alone with Cato. I look at him and see that he's looking at me. He sighs and murmurs, "I'm worried Clove. The tributes from the outlying districts seem good this year."

"They do," I agree softly. We stand for a few moments longer before turning towards each other and sharing a hug that lasted only a fraction of a second. We exchange a glance and go in different directions to different stations. Not long later, we finish up and head to our rooms.

When we get there, Cato and I notice that Eva and Gertrude aren't back from wherever they are- probably a bar- yet, and that Haylei is probably off talking with our prep teams. Finally out of view of other tributes, Gamemakers, and cameras, we hug. I bury my face in Cato's chest, hugging his waist tightly, and he rests his head on my shoulder. After seeing the skills the other tributes had, neither of our confidence levels is as high as they were before.

"We'll get through it. Together," Cato says softly. I nod, clinging to him as though for dear life. We break apart when Gertrude and Eva enter. Eva stumbles into her room drunkenly and Gertrude looks at us as she walks in.

She yawns and says, "Well you two, I'll go take a quick nap, you wash up and change and we'll eat dinner and head down to the prep rooms, alright?" She then stumbles into her room too.

Haylei walks in a few moments later, not so drunken, and gives us a strange, curt nod before walking off into her room as well. I look back at Cato and he looks back at me.

I say awkwardly, "Well, uh, we should probably go wash up- like she said." Cato nods in agreement and hurries into his room. I follow more slowly, remembering the screen with the tree. Sighing, I get a white sundress from the dresser and a pair of white flats. Something simple and easy to work with, I think, since the prep team is just going to change it. I change out of my training uniform into the dress and flats.

I go to the sink and look at myself in the mirror. I see a girl glaring back at me… a tough girl, gritting her teeth; her eyes narrowed in anger… a monster. I am a monster, I realize, I was born to be a monster, raised a monster, trained a monster, and I volunteered… a monster. That's all I am. I stumble back from the mirror and look away. With shaking hands I take my hair out and let it flow down my back. I run a brush through it and wash my face without looking in the mirror again before hurrying out.

I walk out and sit down on one of the couches in front of the television. Cato comes out soon later and sits next to me. I draw my knees up to my chest and hug them, resting my head on them. I stare blankly forward, not bothering to acknowledge Cato's presence.

"Well," Cato says after a few moments of silence, breaking it, "You look nice." I blush just a little and grin, looking over at him, breaking out of my forlorn trance. He's smiling at me with his lopsided grin… it's so darn cute… wait, _what? _

I shake my head inwardly before responding, "Thanks, but, then again this is the Capitol. I probably look underdressed compared to most of the people here." He shrugs, nodding in an agreeing manner.

"I wonder what that makes me look like," he jokes and I smirk. He's wearing jeans and a nice shirt. But it's still on the average side.

"That Glimmer girl's really pretty," he murmurs, and I feel a stab of anger and disbelief and… something else, but I can't put a finger on what it is. I look at him with a surprised look and I can tell by his equally surprised look that he didn't mean to say it out loud.

Before the situation can be made more awkward, Gertrude walks out, looking a lot fresher, with a new outfit on- a bright orange dress with long fishnet sleeves and her hair is in two bright orange pigtails. Eva comes out soon later, looking decent. Thank goodness; she has to try and help us get sponsors while we're being interviewed. Haylei comes out too, wearing a subtle but nice dress.

The Avoxes come out and set food down on the newly set table, then hurry out. We sit down at the table and begin eating.

"So, Eva," Cato says in his calm and even voice, "Any tips for how we should go about the interviews?" Eva looks up smiling, her eyes shimmering, as though she's honored to be asked a question like that.

She says, "Well, I'd say just be as natural as possible. Be yourself. Choose your best aspects and apply them to the interview. _Make them like you._" I roll my eyes slightly and when I see her wondering glance I decide that it's best to explain why exactly I rolled my eyes.

"Well, obviously we have to make them like us," I say slowly, "but I don't know _how." _I laugh bitterly. "I'm no good at making people like me!" Cato looks at me with a mischievous grin and Haylei smirks. Gertrude and Eva exchange an amused glance.

I glare at them like I'm about ready to kill them and Haylei says calmly, "Clove, my dear, don't let your insecurities get to you. You're a natural at making people like you! Why, you've grown on us three in less than a day." Gertrude nods in agreement and I see Eva giving me a curious smile.

Cato pipes in after Haylei finishes speaking and says, "You're totally likeable Clove. I usually don't stick around friends, you know that, and I've stuck around you my- well, my whole life, really. You're amazing at making people like you."

I look down with a soft blush and mumble, "I'm not insecure." Even as I say it I realize I'm contradicting myself; but they can't know that, now, can they? I'm tough knife-girl Clove; I'm not supposed to feel anything but the need to kill; I'm especially not supposed to feel insecurities.

To my relief, though they shake their heads, they decide to drop the subject and save me from the awkward situation I've been put in. I let out a breath I wasn't aware I'd been holding and then I stand up, Cato doing the same, and Haylei soon after. Eva and Gertrude, who had been drunk, seem to be struggling to finish their food.

"I'll head down to the prep rooms with them, Gertrude; neither of you overstuff yourselves. We don't need district 2 looking bad. District 2 doesn't, and I mean DOESN'T look bad." Haylei says, though she is grinning lightly, clearly not completely serious.

She walks out and Cato and I follow her. When we leave the room, Haylei says, "I hope you two will be as pleased as I am with your outfits for tonight's interviews. I tried to fit each of your personalities with them- Clove, your hidden kindness but still fiery personality, and Cato, your charming confidence. If you two are totally natural, I'm sure you can blow them away."

I smile and say, "I bet they're great." Cato nods in agreement, and soon, we're down in the long hallway with rooms labeled for each district; girls' rooms on one side of the hallway, boys on the other. We each go into our rooms, and Haylei continues on down the hallway, probably to make sure the outfits are ready and such.

I sit down and immediately, Rocky, Tessa and Terra get to work, brushing my hair until it shines, clipping my nails with careful movements, and other things like that. Terra and Rocky are quiet, for the most part, but Tessa can't seem to keep her mouth shut as she works. She didn't talk much when preparing me for the tribute parade, but that has clearly changed.

"Such pretty hair," she coos, "so soft and shiny, you're such a lovely young girl, and with so much spirit too, you'll make your district proud. And just look at that face! You have the prettiest eyes and the cutest little nose, I just want to squeeze those little cheeks of yours, sweetheart, but Haylei would have my head if I did! I bet you have a lover back in your district, with a face as positively adorable as yours!"

"Why," she continues, "I suppose Caesar will bring that up in the interview though, won't he? He does enjoy getting into the tributes' love lives, doesn't he, Terra?" Terra nods, smiling, but I don't really see her. My face has gone pale. I've frozen and I begin to feel slightly dizzy. What if he asks about my love life? What if I mention that I might feel something for Cato? I close my eyes and pray that that won't happen.

**Sorry for the wait for this chapter, guys. I started writing it and then got really busy and couldn't finish it! But here we are. I was going to try to squeeze the interviews into this chapter, but I like chapters to be around 3,000 words, and the interview would have taken up at least 2,000 which would have been more than my liking. So, the next chapter will be interviews and the next night, then the good old scoring assessment thing. =D **

**Be sure to review and share, I love it when you guys give me feedback and give me suggestions, and I also love to see new followers! And please bear with me; I will try to update at least once a week if not more, but we have a lot of end-of-the-year projects coming up in school. I won't let you down though!**

**Xoxo**

**Leafdrift**


	7. Chapter 7

My prep team finishes up with everything and they go out, still gossiping about everything Caesar might ask us during our interviews. I take a moment to clear my head of the sickening idea that I might have to talk about my feelings toward Cato in front of all of Panem. Once I have it out of my head, I take a deep breath, but don't have time to fully relax myself as Haylei comes in a moment later. She has a bright smile on her face, and I know that whatever work she's done, she is very proud of it.

"You're going to love this dress," she gushes, hanging the white outfit bag on a small hook protruding from the wall. "It suits you so well, I can't wait to see how it'll complement your eyes and hair, oh, and it'll just add that perfect little dash of grace, but not without a sharp and dangerous side! Oh, my, I bet you'll want to see it now. But of course, you will, dear, you'll be in love!"

I grin; Haylei is definitely excited, not even giving me a chance to open my mouth to reply to anything she said. She walks over to the outfit bag and dramatically unzips it, flashing me an excited look, before taking out a dress that I have to admit is amazing. My sarcastic smirk falls to a look of shock. The dress is short and strapless, a pale orange-salmon color. The top has soft ruffles that spread into a paler shade of orange. The skirt is similar, but the ruffles on the skirt aren't so light, causing it to appear, as she said, almost dangerous.

"I… I don't know what to say," I breathe, "I love it, Haylei. I absolutely love it. It's perfect." Haylei nods, her smile never faltering, as though she knew I was going to say that all along. How couldn't I? Haylei really knows what she's doing when it comes to designing clothes specifically for people. Haylei pulls me into a straight standing position and tells me to stay still, then sets to work dressing me.

I stand there, feeling slightly awkward and uncomfortable as she does so, until she is finished. Then she ushers me into a chair and sets to work on my hair, rambling about her pride and joy for the dress and the whole look she has put together. I block it out and retreat into my thoughts while she does my hair and makeup.

I try to avoid allowing my mind to settle on the thought of Cato and my emotions. It would simply hurt far too much to admit my love and know that he would have to die for me to live and vice versa. It's too harsh a reality, I think, too harsh a truth to face.

My thoughts are broken by Haylei's voice intruding on them, "You're done, my dear, step in front of the mirror now and be astounded!"

I stand up and walk to the mirror, smiling from both a slight pride as well as joy. The dress fits me perfectly, of course. My hair is done in a way that makes it look both elegant and daunting, like the dress. My makeup shimmers, bright oranges and sparkles complementing the whole appearance. I'd like to see District Twelve outshine this!

"It's great," I stay, my smile refusing to break from my face, "thanks, Haylei." Haylei nods, her eyes glowing with pride. I'm sure my praise didn't do anything to dampen that. She then leads me out of the prep room where Cato is standing with Eva and Gertrude.

Cato is wearing a blue suit and tie that really make his eyes pop, and though it is simple, it makes him look even handsomer than usual… at least, to me it does.

I smile and say, "Nice suit Cato." He looks up and smiles brightly when he sees me, walking towards me. His lopsided grin makes my insides melt, but I try to hide it on the outside with my simple grin.

"Thanks, Clove. You look great you know that? That dress is really a work of art, Haylei," he says in that calm, charming voice of his. "District Two will be the best dressed district this year, that's for sure." I notice that his voice holds a bit of a challenging sound in it now. I can see where that is coming from. District Twelve was too spectacular for the tribute parade. They were too spectacular for such a low district.

I shake off the annoyance that is creeping up on me before I can let it get to me. District Twelve isn't worth my anger. Gertrude smiles and leads us down to the hallway backstage, where there is a TV showing an empty stage; the live stage. Avoxes walk up to us and pull us into play; girl then boy, for each district in order. They continue doing this as people show up, and then they walk out.

Glimmer looks over her shoulder and smiles at me, saying softly as we are close to the stage, "You look pretty, Clove." I make a small grin and then look at her frilly, sparkly pink dress… Glimmer… it suits her, I think. I give a small nod, sort of in reply, sort of to myself. Then I do respond.

"Well, thanks. You look pretty too, your dress looks great on you." She smiles and thanks me, seeming flattered, but I have a feeling that that is just acting and she's not flattered at all, but just accepting what she knew I was going to say.

We all fall silent as Caesar Flickerman appears on the television, turning in his chair, where it was impossible to see him a moment before. I don't really listen as he greets the audience, as it's usually the same greeting every year, but then I hear him introducing Glimmer.

"Let's see if she really does sparkle, everyone, from District One, Glimmer!" She is then ushered out onto the stage where she walks- no, where she flounces- and gives a little twirl, her skirt fluttering up in a pink swirl, before sitting down. If she wants the Capitol and sponsors to think she's a ditz, she's doing a great job at making them think so.

I blank out throughout both her and Marvel's interviews, finding it very difficult to pay attention to them. Neither of them interests me, despite my slight listening into the beginnings. As usual, they just talk about being a Career and what it's like. I don't know what I'm worrying about, I realize. I'll probably just have to talk about those same things.

I hardly hear when they call me, lost in my slight day-dreaming daze. I feel a pair of hands shoving me to the side of the stage, and I stumble forward, luckily staying off the stage. Regaining my balance and putting on a smirk, I walk out onto the stage with confidence, allowing a little wave to the audience before sitting down and crossing my legs, then turning my attention to Caesar.

"Quite the entrance," Caesar says, smiling brightly at me, "I can tell you'll be a tough competitor in these games, with grace and power like that. So, Clove, they call you the girl with the knives. Just how good are you?"

I force a chuckle- part of the academy training was learning how to act believably for these interviews; after all, the sponsors need to like you to give you things- and I say, "Well, I'm certainly not one to judge myself. But I think you'll be able to see for yourself when the games actually start, eh?"

He laughs and nods, his bright toothy smile never leaving, "Yes, yes indeed! I'm sure you're a force to be reckoned with. Tell me, how do you like it here in the Capitol? Is there anything in particular that you like about it?" I keep my smile from faltering as the image of the tree by the stream comes to my mind.

"It's wonderful, such a big change from District Two. I think my favorite part of being here would have to be the food. There's a lot more options here than back in the district." Caesar nods in an agreeing manner and then his joyous face suddenly turns to a solemn expression.

The next thing he says catches me off guard, and I go rigid for a moment as he says it. "Clove, my brave dear, from what I hear, it wasn't your year to volunteer, was it? You volunteered in place of your sister, Kathryn, was it?" My blood runs cold. My smile falls and my face goes stony. I look him straight in the eyes and nod.

"Yes… I… I volunteered for her when it wasn't my turn. I thought…" my voice goes cold as ice, "I thought I'd give her a chance at living." The bitterness in my voice grows the more I speak, my eyes sparking with an anger I had kept deep inside of me since I was young. It was an anger that I had always made sure to keep in, because for all I knew, the consequences could be horrid.

"I mean, at least I've had more training than she has. In District Two, well, we're all born to die, aren't we? Even though we win often, we all expect to die in these games. I wanted to give my sister a chance at having a life. I didn't think she deserved to die so young. You know what I mean?"

I see that Caesar has surprise hidden in the very depths of his eyes, but his face continues to look slightly sympathetic. He nods, patting my shoulder with one hand, and once again, I am shocked by him. His sympathy is genuinely true, not like the usual acting that he puts on for the audience. He isn't faking it, for once, I can tell.

Caesar smiles then and murmurs his voice projected by the microphone, "Of course, I know what you mean. You've made a brave decision to volunteer for your little sister, and I have faith in you in these games. I believe your sponsors do too." He gestures to the audience, his palm flat as he moves it in a sort of semi-circle to show the people sitting in the seats and I look out, not expecting to see some of them crying, many of them holding hands to their hearts or nodding at me.

I smile again and nod.

Caesar stands up and takes my hand, pulling me up and holding my hand in the air before the audience. We both smile as the audience cheers, roaring with the sound of applause.

"From District Two, everybody, Clove Sphar."

He then dismisses me with another bright toothy grin and I walk of stage. When I get off, my smile dropping a little, Cato embraces me briefly and whispers in my ear, "I want to talk a bit tonight, okay?" I nod, hugging him back and wishing him luck as he hurries onto stage for his interview with Caesar.

I put on my usual glare, then notice with a small bit of confusion that Fire Girl is staring at me, with a look of… what is that… curiosity? I shake my head a little, looking away from her, and look at the screen, watching Cato's interview. I smile at how natural he is, the words flowing easily from him as though he's been doing this for years. People are bound to like him.

He comes off, not having talked about anything interesting, just the Career stuff, and looks at me with a serious look on his face. Gertrude comes over to us and ushers us back to the elevator. As we walk down the hall, away from the rest of the tributes being interviewed, I subconsciously move closer to Cato, and he puts a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"You were great in your interviews," Gertrude says happily, ignorant to our half-hugging, "They loved you. Cato, your charm worked its magic and Clove… I knew they'd love you! I'm so proud to be your escort."

Eva and Haylei are waiting for us when we come back into the room. They congratulate the two of us on our performances, and then we head over to the television to watch the remaining interviews. Many of them aren't anything special… until it gets to district twelve's.

The boy is a natural, I notice, but so are the Careers. He's still puny without that girl. I am surprised when he says that he loves Fire Girl. I can't help but smirk. She's way out of his league. Or at least, that's what I think.

But then, Fire Girl goes up. She starts off by making a fool of herself, probably too nervous to hear, just as they always are. Oh, but what comes after that… Once again, with the stupid flames! She twirls and flames fly up in a lovely burst of light and color. Of course, the audience goes wild.

My eye twitches in annoyance, and it takes all of my willpower not to let my anger loose. She always has to be better, doesn't she? She always has to put on a show. Well, I'll show HER a show, and a damn good one at that.

When the interviews end, Gertrude, Eva, and Haylei wish us good nights and go to their rooms. Cato and I are left alone on the couch. Sighing tiredly, I allow myself to fall sideways, lying across Cato's lap. He chuckles and runs a hand through my hair.

"They really loved you, Clove. I've only ever seen you act so natural once like that before now. But it really got them to like you." His voice is soft. I look up into his blue eyes tiredly.

I let out an exasperated huff. "The natural me is awful Cato. I don't know how they liked it. I basically dissed off the entire Capitol. I was just lucky they were too stupid to notice." He sighs, smiling, with amusement glimmering in his eyes.

"You just don't realize how amazing you can be, Clove." Closing my eyes, I murmur a soft response.

"Sure, Cato, we'll pretend that's the truth." He doesn't argue. He just stares out at the window behind the now silent television. His eyes get a glassy look, as though he is staring at something distant, that nobody else can see.

After a few moments of silence, he shakes his head as though to clear it of something and says, "Clove, you sounded like you've already given up in that interview tonight." His voice is troubled as he continues speaking.

"I'm glad it bought you sponsors, and that it worked out well, but I knew how serious you were being, about us all being born to die, about giving your sister another chance to live. I know you Clove. You can't just give up on me, before the games have even started. You're not that kind of person. Please don't give up. _Never _give up."

I look into his deep blue eyes, seeing in them how troubled and worried he is. I also see a faint sadness in them, lingering beneath the worry, and a part of my heart breaks a little, knowing that I'm the reason he's troubled.

"I haven't given up quite yet," I choose my words carefully, speaking slowly and softly. "And I'll try not to give up- I _promise_ I won't give up Cato. I promise on my father's blood, that I won't give up unless… unless you die." I say the last part in a broken whisper. He looks like he wants to press the subject, but luckily for me he chooses not to.

"We should probably get some sleep. You know what tomorrow is. We have to be wide awake to show the Gamemakers what we can do." Cato says, his voice sounding hesitant, as if he wants to say something else but he is forcing himself not to. I nod in agreement, though, silent, and sit up, sliding off the couch and holding out a hand to pull him up.

He then smiles, a mischievous smile that suggests he has a trick up his sleeve, and says, "Goodnight, little Clover." I give him a dirty look, forcing a glare over my persistently growing smile, but can't help but laugh. He grins more broadly, most likely knowing full well that he's one of the only people that could say that and not have a knife shoved in his chest. Actually, he's probably the one and only person who can.

"Night, Cato," is all I say with a smile. We part ways in the small alcove and go into our rooms. When I get into mine, I take a silk nightgown and grab a quick shower before sliding into my bed. As I settle in among the covers and close my eyes, I allow myself to relax.

I think of how the next day is the day before the games start. The next day is the last day to show who I am, and what I'm good at to the Gamemakers and to the sponsors and to everyone in all twelve districts. It could be the last day I have to live, to talk to people and laugh. But it's such a troubling time, I'm sure that laughter won't be possible.

I take a few moments to note how comfortable the bed is, given that I didn't sleep in it the night before. I snuggle into the feathery soft covers, letting my head sink into the warmth of the plush pillow, all great luxuries of the Capitol, of course. I allow a small smile to grace my lips, turning just the very tips of my mouth upward, hardly even a smile.

I tell myself that I ought to enjoy the luxuries while I still have them. Tonight might be the second to last night that I still get to live.

**Here it is guys (finally)! Chapter 7! I hope you like it, it took me forever to write haha! Please, please, please, review and share this with others! Give me suggestions or comment on it, tell me if you like it or not, ask questions, don't remain silent! I want this to be as good as it can be, and I need the help of my wonderful followers and fans to get there. Thanks ^-^**

**Next chapter is going to be the training session where they show the Gamemakers their skills *gasp* and then, at long last, THE GAMES in chapter 9! So bear with me everyone! **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Hunger Games. All rights belong to Suzanne Collins.**

**Xoxo,**

**Leafdrift**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, so, author's note at the beginning! Please read! I have updated chapter 1 (I added some information that I left out at first), so if you care to go back and read the changes, go for it. **

**I do not own the Hunger Games.**

**Now, onto **_**Chapter 8!**_

The next morning, I get up early and head out into the main room. I sit down on the couch and turn on the television, my brown eyes narrowing against the bright light of the screen. I have it on for only a few minutes before becoming irritated by the brightness and turning it off. Sighing, I look at the time. I realize that I'm up two hours before I need to be.

I rub my eyes and shake my head, willing the sleepiness out of it, before deciding to look around. I go into a kitchen-like area where there is a refrigerator and I open it, curious as to what is inside. I see various fruits and vegetables, as well as yogurt and various drinks. Nothing appeals to me at the moment, so I close the door again.

Sitting down again, I wonder how I can pass the time. I see a book on the table in front of me, very beat up, the hard cover with many scratches and chips in it, the pages frayed and yellow at the edges. The binding is soft and dull, showing years and years of careful use. I pick up the book and read the title, curiosity flowing through me.

_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone _it says. Seeing as how I have nothing better to do, I relax and begin to read it. It seems like only a few minutes before my reading is interrupted by the sound of a door opening from behind me. I look over my shoulder and see Gertrude, wearing a neon orange dress, walking out of her room.

She grins at me as she walks past, nodding in acknowledgement, before going to wake Cato. 'Has it really been two hours already?' I wonder, looking at the clock and realizing that it has. I'm on the last page of the book, so I finish it up, having been hooked, and put it back on the coffee table delicately, given the poor condition that it is in.

I pass Gertrude as I walk back to my room. She stops to tell me to put on my training clothes; we'll be heading straight down to practice before our final training session. I nod and go into my room, taking the freshly cleaned outfit and hanging it in the bathroom. I get ready as I would any other morning and then I go out to breakfast. I sit down, for once out before Cato, next to Eva and Haylei. Gertrude sits across from me.

We wait for Cato to come out. When he does, he sits next to me with a little smile, his blue eyes twinkling, and the Avoxes bring out different breakfast foods for us to choose from. I settle for a little fruit, never having much of an appetite in the morning.

Eva looks up with a smile and says, "Today's the day, you two. The day to show the Gamemakers everything you've got, and to prove yourself for your overall score. This is the time to let out all of your greatest skills at once, alright? Don't hold back. Don't be afraid to go all out, because this is the one time where you really have to."

I nod, and the little smile on Cato's face grows into a large grin. I know he must have a plan for what he's going to show the Gamemakers, because his eyes only glint the way they are now when he has a good idea. I hope that his idea is as good as they usually are.

Gertrude and Haylei break into a conversation about something random- some new Capitol outfits or something like that- and I zone out a bit before we all finish eating and decide to head down to the training room. Haylei stays back, as does Gertrude, but Eva goes with Cato and I down to the training room.

Eva's cold blue eyes pierce into mine before she leaves and she says, "Don't be afraid to hold back, Clove. I saw you in that interview. They loved you. It's only because you didn't hold back. Don't hold back." She then walks off, the ominous tone of her voice resonating throughout my brain. Shaking my head, I walk over to the knives and grab one before turning to Cato.

"Care to spar?" I ask with a mischievous smile on my face. He grins and grabs a sword, the same mischievous smile growing on his own face. He sweeps blond hair out of his face and gets into a fighting stance, holding his sword at ready, the sharp tip of it pointed towards me.

"I'd love to."

The two of us begin pacing around each other, wondering who's going to make the first move, who should be the one to make the first move. It happens simultaneously; we both head at each other, weapons clanking as we battle together.

I laugh when I pin him, my small knife pointed at his face, his sword in my hand, held above my head. I smile brightly with amusement and joy as I step back, allowing him to get to his feet and dust himself off. He gives me a mock dirty look, holding out his hand for his sword back.

As I throw it back to him I say, "You're going to have to be faster if you want to beat me, Sword Boy." My voice is joking as I say it, and he chuckles. I can tell that he is feeling the same way I am and thinking the same thing I am. We haven't done anything like this in ages, it seems. There never seemed to be time before at the academy to have a friendly spar.

I turn to the side and throw my knife lazily, watching it land in the center of a target before turning back to Cato. He is turning the sword in his hands, looking at it with a slight ghost of a smile. He looks back up at me a moment later and sets the sword back on the stand.

"I think that was a good warm up, don't you?" He asks, still smiling that nearly unnoticeable smile of his. I nod in agreement before responding out loud to his question.

"Yeah, I can't wait to show the Gamemakers my stuff," I say. Knowing that the actual training will begin soon, we both head out and go out into the hallway behind the door, where the other tributes are just beginning to gather. I greet Marvel and Glimmer with a smile, and acknowledge a few of the others who will be allying with us.

Then, I get into line, behind Cato. I wait in silence as the first three people, Glimmer, Marvel, and Cato, go into the room in turn when they are called. Before I know it, it's my turn. I walk in and see the Gamemakers looking curiously down from their balcony. Seneca Crane has an interested look in his eyes that gives me a little spark of hope.

"Clove Sphar," I say calmly, keeping my voice steady and allowing a smile to form on my lips, "District Two." I can feel their eyes on me as I walk over to the knives with confidence. I scan them before picking the simplest, weakest knives. I see a few of them rolling their eyes. They don't think I can make it with a dull knife. I smile. Perfect.

I walk over to the moving targets and then snap my fingers twice. I whip around. In a split second, four knives fly spinning through the air and hit the targets of four different moving dummies dead center. I turn back to the Gamemakers. Now I've got them. Their faces are shocked, as though they had no idea I could pull that off.

Next, I choose a more complex knife, with a curved blade, the handle bright crimson. There is a net hanging from the ceiling. Looking at it closely for a moment, I make out two ropes holding it to the ceiling. I throw the knife and it whips across the two ropes, cutting down the net and sending it flying into the wall.

I then put the knives back and nod courteously to the Gamemakers, my smile bigger than it was at the beginning. A few of them clap, nodding at me with bright smiles and shimmering eyes. I give a small bow remembering what we were taught at the academy.

"Thank you for your time." I say calmly, before walking out, making sure to carry myself with confidence and a smile on my face.

As soon as I get out, the smile drops, as it's starting to make my cheeks ache from holding it there. I walk back up to the room and change into some comfortable clothes, undoing my hair and letting it fall down my back.

I sit on the couch, where Cato is already. He smiles at me and I give a little grin back, crossing my legs and looking towards the window. The sky outside is a pale blue, dotted with clouds. So peaceful, I think, completely unaware of the Games that are soon to take place.

"So, Clove," Cato starts, "Did it go well?" I cast a sideways glance at him, giving him a look that says, 'Really? What do you think?' He chuckles and nods, and I grin at the thought that I had only to give him a look for him to know what I would have said.

We sit and chat in small, uninteresting little bits of small talk for a while before Haylei, Gertrude and Eva come in. They sit down on the couch, Eva drunk, laughing hysterically about something. Gertrude sloppily picks up the television remote and turns on the television before dropping the remote in her laughter.

"Well you two," Haylei says, swallowing her laughter quicker than the other two, "It's time to see what you scored. I have high hopes for both of you." I smile and nod, and turn my attention to the television. They explain that they're going to show the scores of each of the tributes. Marvel and Glimmer's scores are shown first, of course, and then ours. I don't really pay attention to Marvel's or Glimmer's.

"Cato Ludwig," the man on the screen says, "With a score of ten." I grin at him and see that he has a pleased smirk, as though he expected that score but still feels proud with the shock of hearing it for real. With a heart plummeting sensation, I realize that more likely than not, I got a six or seven, since I wasn't prepared for the games, according to the teachers at the Academy anyways.

I watch intently as the picture of Cato and the number ten fades into a picture of me, glaring from the screen. "Clove Sphar," the speaker says, "With a score of ten." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and let a small smile creep up my face. Eva pats me and Cato each on the shoulder, laughing. Haylei grins at me, then at Cato.

"I knew you two could do it!" Gertrude says, laughing, "Best scores of the lot I'll bet." Cato chuckles and I see that the pride in his eyes has grown. I can't help but giggle a bit too; I did better than I thought, and everyone seems pleased with the ten. After all, despite the scores possibilities of going to twelve, nobody's gotten a twelve and very few an eleven, so ten is thought to be the real highest score.

Cato says, "The sponsors and other tributes have got to love and fear us now, if they didn't before." Gertrude nods at his words and Eva starts laughing even harder than she was before, which I had thought was impossible. Guess I was wrong.

"Well they have to have already loved you, Cato," I say with a knowing smile. "If you haven't realized, you and twelve are the biggest stars of the tributes so far." He laughs again, getting caught up in the drunken laughter and antics of the three adults with us.

"Sure Clove," he laughs, "but so are you." I just shake my head with a little half-hearted laugh and turn back to the television to see what the other scores are. I see that they're already on district eleven. It surprises me that the little girl got a score of seven, for someone that young, but doesn't shock me very much that Thresh- I shudder involuntarily with fear- got a score of ten.

The boy from twelve, Peeta, who is joining the Career pack so that we can use him to get to fire girl scores an eight, and I think that it might not be so bad having him with us for a while, before we kill him. It disturbs me how ruthless it sounds, but growing up a Career, I don't let the thought bother me for long.

"Katniss Everdeen," the voice says next, "With a score of…" I narrow my eyes before it says, "eleven." My mouth drops open, my eyes grow wider, and I look at the others around me, finding them all too busy laughing, chatting and drinking in their celebration to notice the score twelve got. I uncomfortably shift away from them and look down at the ground, thinking about fire girl.

She shows me up at the tributes' parade, she shows me up at the interviews, and now, she even shows me up with the private Gamemaker sessions? A deep hatred bubbles deep in my chest and I stand up abruptly, shoving past the three drunken adults and the figuratively drunken Cato and walking into my room, slamming the door behind me.

It isn't fair to me how that Katniss girl gets all the love and attention. Who cares if she volunteered for her sister? I volunteered for my sister too! And who cares if she has a star-crossed lover? Nobody can begin to understand the love I feel for Cato- wait. Did I just admit that to myself? I feel heat rise to my face as I push the memory of that thought away.

I force the anger to return and brush away the embarrassment. She gets all of that love just because she wore some fake flames and volunteered from an outlying district. Big deal! Nobody seems to understand what it's like to volunteer before your turn in the Career districts. The teachers practically drill into our brains that if it's not our year to volunteer, we're going to die. They pick the most prepared students to enter the Hunger Games, and if we're not the most prepared, we don't stand a chance.

So, volunteering with that thought in mind, having been told by multiple different people- adults, for that matter, your trainers, the people you look up to, is worse than volunteering on your own, never having been told that you're definitely going to die, and being able to force yourself to have confidence. Because I have only a sliver of confidence that I can get through this and I bet now that that Katniss girl has tons, scoring a damn eleven.

In a blind rage, I start screaming and kicking and punching the wall by the door, throwing myself against it as if it's twelve and I can kill her right then. A few minutes later, my door opens, and I see Cato standing there, staring at me curiously.

"Clove?" he says tentatively.

"Get out, Cato," I snarl, clenching my hands into fists.

"Clove, what's going on?" His voice is soft, and I almost want to give into it for a moment.

"I said, GET OUT CATO!" I fling myself at him, pathetically really, and attempt to punch him, but he catches my fists in his hands easily. I struggle to get out of his grasp for a moment, but then give up, standing there breathing heavily, fighting back tears of frustration.

Cato gently pries my fingers away from my palms, then laces his fingers with mine and drops one of one of my hands. "Come on," he says softly and leads me out of my room and to the elevator. I notice that more time must have gone by than I thought, because Haylei, Eva, and Gertrude are all in their rooms, probably sleeping.

We go up to the rooftop, where there is a garden with pathways lacing through it. I hear soft voices from farther down the roof and assume that it's just tributes from different districts, coming up here to escape into the fresh air on the last night before the games just as we are. Cato leads me down one of the winding paths, and soon we see a bench. We sit down on it, and Cato looks me in the eyes.

"Clove, what was that about?" I look down, not sure how to explain it. What, am I just supposed to come out and say, Oh, yeah; I'm jealous of twelve and afraid of eleven? Instead of responding with words, I just shake my head, avoiding meeting his gaze.

He gently touches my chin and lifts my head so that I have no choice but to look at him. His face is gentle and comforting, and his eyes hold concern and worry, which makes my heart flutter. "Clove," he says again, "Are you afraid? You know you can tell me anything." I take a deep breath and just come out with it.

"I don't understand how twelve can score higher than me, than _you. _Why does she get all of the love? What's so special about her? Either she's really good, or just getting special treatment; both of those things are dangerous. Also… eleven… he's from an outlying district too, and outlying districts hate the Careers… I… I think… I am afraid, Cato." I sigh and wait for him to start laughing. But he doesn't.

"It's okay to be afraid, Clove. Even I'm afraid. But we're in this together." He takes my hand, gripping it. "I don't know how, but we're going to win this. Both of us are going to win it. We're both going home Clove, I promise you. I'll protect you." What happens next happens so suddenly that I can't even think to stop, don't even think to stop; I just let it happen, which I'll realize later was a mistake- a relationship during the games is deadly for the participants.

We both lean in slowly, and before I know it, our lips touch. My eyes flutter closed, then open again as we pull apart. Then, as if on a silent cue, we both stand up and head back to our rooms.

**So here guys, is chapter 8. I received some reviews telling me to continue, and I thought I might as well post this chapter since I was already ¾ of the way done with it. So, please review, and I'll post another author's note if I decide not to continue this… next chapter is the games, if I do continue it, though! Hooray!**

**Signing off,**

**XOXO,**

**England**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own the Hunger Games. Here's Chapter 9!**

I wake to the sound of knocking on my door. I open my eyes slowly and hear Gertrude telling me to wake up; I have an hour to get ready before the games. My heart thuds against my chest quickly at those words. How have the games arrived so quickly? I call back to her that I'm awake and drag myself out of bed, heading to the bathroom. I see that there is a plain dress lying out on my bed and take it with me, knowing that Haylei will meet us to put us in our actual clothes for the games.

In the bathroom, I take a quick shower and slip on the simple dress before heading out of my room. I sit at the table in the main room and look at all the breakfast food set out on it. My stomach doesn't growl as it naturally would, and I find myself recoiling from all the food. I guess my nerves have gotten the better of me and I didn't notice. Trying to think logically, I get what I think is a decent amount of food on my plate and I force myself to eat it, as it's my last real meal before the games begin.

Cato comes out a few moments later, wearing plain white pants and a white short sleeved shirt. He smiles at me a little. The smile is grim, but also warm, and it reminds me of the kiss we had the night before. That hits me suddenly, and I look down, wondering how he feels about it. It's only when he places a hand on my shoulder that I realize I never returned the smile.

"It'll be alright, Clove. I promise." I nod, but I'm not entirely sure that I believe him. In a game where everyone is out for blood, how can anyone be sure that they'll win, and that it will be alright? Because the truth is, they can't. There is no certainty in these games. Looking at the ring on my finger, the small silver serpent, I pray that Cato is right.

He gathers me in a quick embrace before turning his attention away from me and putting food on his plate in silence. I hear Gertrude walking out of the room and she clicks her tongue and says, "Be ready, you two, when I come back. I'll take you down to your prep teams and then… good luck. I have high hopes for you both, and I've come to care for the two of you greatly." She smiles brightly, a little too brightly, I think, and hurries out of the room.

Eva comes out next, yawning as though she only just rolled out of bed. She smiles and says, "Morning sugars. Bet you two will do great. Sponsors will be all over the two of you. You can bet on lots of parachutes." I force a soft chuckle and a smile at Eva, who grins back, a kind glint in her tired-looking eyes.

"Thanks, Eva," I say, trying to put enough emotion into the words to make it sound sincere, like I'm thanking her for everything she's done for us. But it's hard to put positive emotions into something when all you feel is fear and nervousness. She gives me a thumb up and walks out, still yawning. Haylei, as usual, is already gone, so Cato and I are alone.

"Look, Clove," Cato says turning to me, "I love you," his words start to come out in a rush, a torrent so fast I can hardly keep up. "I really do. But you see how the other tributes are reacting to Lover Boy and Fire Girl. Disgusted and hateful, that's how. I don't want to put you in danger by acting like I love you. The sponsors like us enough already. Just know that in the arena, no matter what happens, I love you, and only you, alright?"

I nod and respond, "Alright. I love you too, Cato." Despite my simplistic response, I wonder what he's planning. We were born allies, Careers, so it's not as if he's going to pretend to hate me. He doesn't need to do that. So what is he going to do that he needs to tell me this now? Shaking my head, I decide not to think about it right now. There are other things to think about.

We are silent; I am lost in thought and Cato is busy eating; while waiting for Gertrude to return. When she returns, she smiles at us and says, "Ready?" I nod and Cato looks up with a confident smile- how does he muster that? - And we walk down with her to the elevators. While in the elevators, she spills what she didn't say earlier.

"Look, I need to tell you this now, because if I tell you it around others from the Capitol, I'll be killed. The government wants a victor. They can't stand the thought of anyone outsmarting them. And what better way to outsmart them than to not allow them their one and only victor? I can't tell you more. I hope you understand, and I hope to escort _both _of you on the Victor's tour." She gives us the smallest of winks and then the elevator opens, and we are ushered to our prep teams.

As my prep team cleans me and does my hair and makes me look decent, I ponder over what Gertrude said to us. What does she mean, not allow them their one and only victor? I shake my head and notice something rather odd. For once, my prep team is solemn, not talkative like they usually are. Out of curiosity, I decide to ask the one who usually talks the most.

"Tessa, why are you so quiet today?" I ask, my voice holding genuine curiosity. She gives me a grim smile, her eyes sympathetic. Wait, why is she feeling sympathetic? I'm a Career. Careers don't deserve sympathy… at least we're not supposed to. We're supposed to be ruthless monsters that don't love and aren't loved.

She sighs and says, "Hun, Terra and Rocky are my siblings. It's a bit odd of course that we're all together as a prep team, but that's just how it fell into play. We know about how it wasn't your year to volunteer… and the three of us were born in District Two, but got to work in the Capitol by a stroke of luck. Neither of our parents were Peacekeepers, but they let us work here. The point is we went to the Academy as kids. We know what they say about people who volunteer before their year… failures. We didn't want to say anything to make you any more nervous than you already are.

"But honey, now that it's been brought up, I have to tell you… you are NOT a failure. The three of us believe in you." Terra and Rocky nod and I smile, a true smile, not forced like so many of my smiles have been so far today. They turn me to the mirror and I smile an even bigger smile. My hair is in a ponytail with multiple hair ties in it, giving it a unique appearance. My eyes are outlined in mascara, but nothing too fancy of course.

"Thank you guys," I say honestly, turning to look at them. "Thank you all so much." They nod, Tessa clearly trying to hold back tears, and walk out of the room. I am left waiting for Haylei. When she comes in, she gives me a solemn smile and takes my hand, pulling me gently out of the chair I'm sitting in. I stand still while she puts on my black t-shirt and red jacket. Then I slip into the tan pants and black combat boots that were sitting next to her.

She walks out with no words but a quick, "I'll see you soon."

Peacekeepers come in a moment later and lead me into an aircraft. I sit down and see all of the other tributes filing in and sitting down too. Cato sits next to me and, when nobody is looking, takes my hand and holds it tightly. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, clutching Cato's hand to keep myself from shaking in fear.

A female Peacekeeper comes up to me after going up to Marvel and Glimmer and says, "Give me your arm." I hold my arm out; hoping the panic on my face isn't evident as she injects the tracker into my arm so that they can watch my every move… those crazy Capitol creeps.

They inject Cato's arm too, then continue down the line of tributes. I see the boy from eleven glaring at me as they inject the tracker into his arm and it takes all of my willpower not to shrink back into the seat and cling to Cato. Luckily, he looks away as the aircraft lands. The doors open and the Peacekeepers lead us out. We split and go into our separate rooms where we will be put into the games.

Haylei is waiting for me when I enter. She smiles and hugs me. I feel a wet drop on my shoulder and realize she's crying. I hug her a little tighter. She pushes my shoulders back with the same gentleness from earlier and zips my jacket, forcing her smile to grow a little bigger.

"You can do this Clove. I know you can. You're your mother's daughter… she'd be so proud." I interrupt her before she can continue.

"Wait… you know my mother?" Haylei nods, her tears slipping down her cheeks more quickly.

"We were best friends, she and I. My parents were Peacekeepers, so I got a job here. Our friendship is another story, though, a story for when you win, because I know you can win Clove. You and Cato can do this." I see a light in her eyes, a light that I've seen before… the same light that was in Tessa's eyes… the same light that was in Gertrude's eyes. It almost scares me. "It's twenty two other people," she murmurs, "only twenty two. You can win." She gives me another hug, and then gestures to the clear tube with an opening in it next to me.

I walk in, my knees shaking, my heart pounding, and I can practically feel my face pale. Haylei seems to notice it too, and she says, "Don't worry Clove. Eva, Gertrude, and I are looking out for the two of you. Don't worry. Don't worry." I know she's just saying it for my sake. She knows just as well as I do that I have every reason to worry, and that I am worrying. But I respect, nonetheless, her attempt to calm me down a bit.

The door to the glass tube closes and I take slow, deep breaths, as I start to rise on the metal platform. I will myself not to scream as I lose sight of Eva and instead face a large field… and in the middle of it is the Cornucopia. I see a belt of knives and know that that is what I have to get. I also think I ought to grab a few backpacks on the way. I see twelve and hope she doesn't back out and run for it; I could kill her now.

I look at Cato and he gives me a reassuring smile; then he slightly gestures to the knives and the back of the Cornucopia. He wants me to hide. But he knows me better than that. A sadistic smile creeps up my face. I'll take a few lives for good measure before I go into hiding… if I go into hiding. The clock counts down from sixty. Sixty seconds before I fight to the death. Sixty seconds before the horror begins. Sixty seconds… sixty seconds.

I think of Kathryn, sitting in her room, refusing to watch the start of the games. I think of the triplets, solemn for once, watching in silence. I think of my mother, watching with the triplets, an impassive expression on her face. I think of Tia, probably bawling her eyes out. I think of Mary Lou, laughing her butt off. But none of that matters now. What matters now are my decisions… because every decision I make is a matter of life or death.

"Five."

I could die any minute.

"Four."

But I'm a Career.

"Three."

I just need to kill.

"Two."

I need to run and kill, a pure Career, a true district two sadist.

"One."

My legs are moving before I realize what I'm doing. I grab the belt of knives and strap it on, quickly grabbing one from one of the loops on the belt. I grab a few backpacks and sling them over my shoulders. People are falling dead around me. Knives whiz past me, arrows fly by, swords smash into bone, spears clink to the ground, as everyone fights for the good stuff.

The blood roars in my ears and I throw the knife I'm holding at an innocent kid; but innocence is not my main concern here. It hits him in the skull and he falls to the ground, dead. I see twelve, running away with a backpack. Oh no, she didn't. I run after her, grabbing a knife and flinging it at her head. To my annoyance, she lifts her backpack up and the knife lodges itself in it. She turns to glance at me and grins.

"Thanks for the knife!" She shouts. I scowl at her and mock her, muttering an awfully girly-sounding "thanks for the knife!" I turn around and see that only a few straggling tributes are left, and the other Careers are taking care of that. I see that the boy from twelve ran. He must've been afraid of the bloodbath. But I know he'll be here soon enough.

I walk over to Cato, Glimmer, and Marvel. The district four female and the boy from three come up to us too and nod. Everyone seems to be facing Cato; he's been silently elected as leader of the Career pack. That doesn't surprise me though. Glimmer grabs onto Cato's arm and giggles, twirling her hair around a finger.

"That escalated quickly," I sigh under my breath, now understanding what Cato had meant when he said that no matter what happens I have to remember that he loves me and only me- he's faking a relationship with Glimmer, but she thinks it's real, clearly. Cato smiles and looks at everyone, his eyes lingering on me for a little longer than everyone else.

"We need to set up camp," he says. "Take what's left and what you grabbed on your way here, and we'll head down to the lake at the foot of the hill. If any other tributes are there, kill them on the spot." Everyone nods in agreement. I take the backpacks I already have and grab a few more, as well as a knife lying on the ground and head down to the lake with the others.

We throw everything down in a pile and begin sorting through the backpacks when we get there. Cato sits next to me and we separate the food and water from everything else. Other people are separating sleeping bags, tools, medicines, pieces of wood and matches. We lay out the sleeping bags and then look at the food and tool pile we have.

The boy from three suggests in answer to what we were all thinking, "To protect our stuff, why don't we reset and rebury the mines in a certain way that only we know of?" Everyone except for the girl from his district looks at him in shock. Then, Marvel nods slowly.

"That could work," Marvel says in a smooth and easy voice, "Why don't we do that now, before it gets dark? We'll head out to kill some people tomorrow." Cato nods at him with a smile and the three of them get to work with the mines, leaving Glimmer, the girl from four and I to sit on the sleeping bags and talk.

"So," I say to the girl from four, "We haven't been properly introduced have we. I'm Clove, and you are?" I smile at her and she smiles back.

"I'm Kylie. I guess the girl from three and my district partner died in the bloodbath." I nod and Glimmer does too, a slightly guilty expression crossing her features and flickering in her eyes. She looks down over-dramatically, and then she looks up at Kylie again.

Glimmer says, "I may have killed your district partner. I was too caught up in the moment to pay attention to who I was killing." _Well, _I think, _what does that say about your loyalty, Glimmer? _Suddenly, I feel very bitter towards her. How could she just cling to Cato like that? I force myself to remember that Glimmer doesn't know about Cato and me, and that Cato is only doing it for the better.

"It's alright," Kylie says, "I know what you mean. I'll admit I was a little nervous before the games started, but now that we're here, I'm enjoying it." I sit there uncomfortably as they break into conversation, wondering how on earth they can find slaying other kids a fun thing to do. I shudder, imagining one of them killing Kathy for fun.

Luckily for me, Peeta walks up just then. He rubs the back of his neck nervously, and looks around. I stand up immediately and walk over to him. He looks at me and fear crosses his gaze. I almost laugh, but instead I just give him a reassuring smile. He smiles back, a small, nervous smile.

"Lover Boy, you missed the bloodbath," I say, laughing a little, before saying in a softer tone so the cameras can't catch it, "but don't worry, if I wasn't from a Career district, I would've ran too, no matter how good I may seem to be." He chuckles, seeming to relax a little at my friendly attitude. What did he expect, a soulless jerk? Then it occurs to me that he's from twelve, and they're raised believing that we are soulless jerks.

I say, "We're not as bad as we seem. Now that you're here, you might as well help out Cato, Marvel, and the boy from three. They're rearranging and resetting the mines around our pile of goods so that anyone who tries to get in blows up." I indicate to them and say, "Go talk to Cato and he'll tell you what to do; he's sort of the leader." Peeta nods, thanks me, and walks off. I walk back to Glimmer and Kylie and find them talking, now, about their home districts, and not how fun it is to kill people.

"Fishing is pretty fun, I almost feel bad. The districts who work the hardest seem to get the least riches. But then of course, I'm not complaining. By all means, I'd rather have riches than give it to district twelve, the traitors." Glimmer nods politely, smiling a little. I just sit and listen, not really that interested in talking about my home. Soon, it starts to get dark. The boys finish up and come over. We each pick a sleeping bag and slide into it. I notice that Glimmer and I are on either side of Cato, but that Glimmer is leaning her head on his shoulder. I force my anger down and look at the stars.

Kylie, who is on the end and closest to the food, gets a few apples and hands them out to each of us. We eat and watch as the Capitol symbol and music is played across the sky. The names of the dead tributes, their district number, and a picture of them appear in the sky. We watch in silence, and it remains silent for a little while after the faces disappear, but then we erupt in whoops and cheers at how many are dead- majority of them killed by us.

I join in wholeheartedly with the cheering, allowing the feeling of accomplishment to settle over me. Though the others seem to buy that I'm cheering over the kills, in my head I'm cheering over surviving the bloodbath along with Cato. Now, we just have to survive the next week or two… hopefully, no longer than that.

Once we're done celebrating, people begin to settle down and drift off to sleep. I keep a hand on the handle of a knife as I drift off, knowing that I'm never safe in these games, and that I ought to be able to defend myself if I'm attacked in the night. With that thought in mind, I fall into an uneasy but well brought-on sleep, and I pray that these games won't be difficult.

**Aaaand we have the start of the games. So guys, like it? Tips? Review! I think I will continue this, and if I get enough viewers, possibly write the sequels mentioned at the beginning of the story. I'd like to thank all of my kind reviewers, who have been telling me they love this story. Really, it means a lot. All I ever really want to do is please other people and make them happy, so to be able to do that and know that I'm doing it right is a great feeling.**

**Signing off,**

**XOXO,**

**England**


	10. Chapter 10

**I just got so gosh darn excited for this chapter… I just had to write it right away! The next one might even be out today, I'm in that good of a mood =D**

"Clove," I wake to the sound of a soft voice from above me. "Clove," it says again, a little more firmly this time. I crack open my eyes a little to see Cato crouching next to me. He grins and I straighten up, looking around. He and Marvel are the only two up, and Marvel is sitting by a small fire. I shake my head and realize that the sun is just rising.

"We're going to hunt down some tributes today," his voice lowers before he continues; "remember what I told you. What's happening between Glimmer and I is nothing, I swear." I nod slowly, and push myself to my feet as I slide out of the sleeping bag. I look around quickly, praying that there are no cameras nearby, and in a flash I kiss him on the cheek, so quickly it couldn't have been noticed by anyone but the two of us. Then, I head over to where Marvel is sitting.

"Morning, Marvel," I say, sitting cross-legged next to the fire. I see him blush a little out of the corner of my eye and hold back a chuckle; it's good to know that I can be loved by people who don't realize that I have a soul. He rubs the back of his neck nervously and glances at me quickly, before returning his eyes back to the flickering orange flames.

"Oh, uh, morning, Clove. Sleep well?" he asks, his voice shaking slightly at the beginning of his words. I let a lazy smile slide across my face and enjoy the feeling of the heat of the fire on my face. I give him a little shrug, listening to the fire crackle and the sound of Cato's voice as he wakes up Glimmer, Kylie, the boy from three, and Peeta.

"I suppose so," I say, then add jokingly, "as well as you can sleep knowing that you could be killed any time. Though I do feel better knowing I'm surrounded by people who have been training their whole lives for this, and knowing that I myself have been training my whole life for this. By the way," I continue as I remember that I still haven't been told one of our allies' names, "What's the boy from three's name?"

Marvel gives me a surprised and almost upset look as he says, "Why, do you like him?" I laugh a little, letting the sound escape me before I can tell myself not to laugh. I never expected to be laughing and having friendly conversations in the Hunger Games, and as strange as it seems, it feels nice.

"No," I say through my gentle, easy laughter, "no I don't like him. I just feel like I ought to know my teammates' names, you know? And I already know yours, Cato's obviously, Glimmer's, and Peeta's, but I don't know his yet, and it doesn't feel right to not know his name when I know everyone else's." He grins at my laughter and turns his head to look at me again.

"Oh, well, his name's William, but he says he'd rather be called Will. I can't imagine why. William is such a normal name. I'd give anything for a normal name! Even if it was a name I hated, if it was normal, I'd like it, but I mean come on, Marvel? Marvel's such a weird name! Don't you think?" He says, and I smile.

"I don't know," I respond, thinking about it for a moment, "Marvel seems like a unique name to me. Why would you want to be part of a crowd, when you could be great, and you could shine, and really be something, you know? I for one would rather have an insanely weird name than be in the shadows along with a billion other people with the same name as me." He nods, seeming to see my point.

"True, true, but still, it's MARVEL. It's like Marbles, and I'm pretty sure I lost my marbles a long time ago," he jokes. I start to laugh, and not too long after I start laughing he joins in, and soon we're both laughing hysterically. The others wander over to us, and it takes me a few minutes to notice that they're all staring at us like we're crazy.

I choke back my laughter and wipe my watering eyes and say, "Sorry, sorry, he just said something pretty funny, sorry!" Then I break into another fit of laughter, this one much shorter than the first fit. I glance at Marvel and see that we're both sharing the same joyous and almost mischievous looking grin.

Cato says, "Well, now that that's done, do you guys want to head out?" I nod, more eagerly than I anticipated, surprised at my own desire to… to kill. The thought sickens me for a moment and the grin as well as Marvel's conversation are immediately dropped and forgotten. But then I remind myself that I'm a Career, and force the smile and joy back on my face. Unfortunately for me, Cato seems to notice my sudden loss of cheerfulness, because he continuously glances at me with a confused and concerned look out of the corner of his eye.

We all grab our weapons and go, heading towards the forest where we assume the other tributes are. Cato turns to look at Peeta as we walk and says, "Lover Boy, you're going to take us to Fire Girl, alright? The sooner we get her out of the way, the better, the damn girl and her damn score of eleven…" he shakes his head in irritation and says, "you ran away, just like her, and being from the same district, you must have some idea of where to find her."

Peeta's eyes flash with nervousness and worry, and I feel a slight pang of pity for the poor boy from twelve. Outlying districts are hardly ever allowed in Career packs; for one thing, so he probably assumes that if he fails us, we'll kill him- which, I think guiltily, we probably will kill him once we find Fire Girl. Also, he's leading us to kill his crush. If I ever had to kill Cato… well, I wouldn't. I'd rather die. I can only imagine how hard this is for him. But Peeta just nods.

"Our trainer told us to run away and find water, that water is our best friend in these games, because it'll lead us to food and keep us from dehydrating… if we can find a stream or river, we'll probably find her." Cato nods slowly and then starts towards the area of the forest where there appears to be more undergrowth. Of course; the more plant life there is, the more water there must be. We walk for a while before we hear the sound of a river- and the sound of a splash.

"There she is!" Glimmer shouts, and we all break into a run as we run across the slab of rock overlooking the river. We all begin shouting and racing toward the helpless girl in the water, laughing as she hurries to scramble out and we run easily after her. We chase her through the woods, laughing and cheering at the discovery of the infamous Fire Girl.

Eventually we chase her up a tree; I glare at her perfect little face and watch as Cato starts up the tree after her. "GET HER CATO!" I scream, letting all of my anger and frustration out at twelve, "KILL HER CATO!" Suddenly, I realize that the branch he is headed for is too weak to hold anybody. I open my mouth to warn him, but it's too late. He reaches for the thin branch and it snaps, sending him back down the trunk of the tree.

"I'll kill her myself," Glimmer snarls, her voice and facial expression seeming to portray the same anger and frustration that I feel towards twelve. She lifts her bow quickly, grabbing an arrow and snapping it back, breathing out as her aim sets, and shooting the arrow. For a moment, I think that it's going to hit the sorry excuse for a tribute, but instead, it whisks past her head, cutting a few strands of hair off. She gasps and hugs the tree, staring down in fear. Well, we may not be able to kill her yet but at least she fears us.

Peeta steps forward, the only one who seems calm out of all of the Career pack, and not ready to kill his district partner, and says, "Why don't we just camp here? I mean, she's got to come down eventually, or else starve to death. We'll just kill her then." Everyone else agrees, but I think that I am the only one who notices Peeta's knowing look that he shares with Katniss. For a moment, I consider telling Cato or Glimmer or Kylie, but then I remember the sympathy I felt for him earlier. We're all in the same boat here, Career or not. Some of us just have more of a step up than others. I decide not to tell anyone that the tributes from twelve may or may not be planning something.

Marvel takes out the box of matches he had in his pocket, and we make a fire. Soon, it begins to grow dark. I glare at Glimmer as she curls up, resting her head on Cato's shoulder. I take a small knife off my belt and fling it at a lizard on the ground. It cuts the small creature's head clean off its shoulders. I retrieve the knife and then take out some dried fruit I put in my pocket. I eat the fruit in silence, watching everyone else lay down to go to sleep. I can't help but feel, though, that something isn't totally right. I lie down and stare at the stars for a long while before taking my knife in my hand and falling asleep on the dead leaves of the forest floor.

I wake to the sound of buzzing and hear screams around me. I bolt up, seeing a beehive on the ground and tracker jackers swarming us. I feel multiple stings and turn to run. I see Cato, Marvel and Will running ahead of me and I chase after them desperately, the screams of Glimmer and Kylie echoing in my ears. I hear Peeta yelling at Katniss to run; the traitor. Not that I blame him.

I trip over a branch I didn't notice before and watch as the outlines of my allies begin to grow smaller and smaller. "Cato!" I cry out as loud as I can despite my sudden dizziness and hallucinations, tears streaming down my face in fear and pain. "Cato," I say again, more softly this time. The forest seems to stretch, everything seems to grow brighter, and just as I see feet enter my vision- I pray that they're Cato's- I black out.

"Clove," a voice echoes in my ears. "Clove, please wake up," the voice echoes again. I open my eyes slowly. Cato is sitting beside me, and Will is pacing around in silence, looking around as though waiting for enemies to ambush, though I'm sure he just wants to keep our pile of goods safe. I rub my eyes and sit up slowly. Cato places a gentle hand on my back to steady me.

"Where's everyone else?" I ask, confused, thinking of Kylie and Glimmer and Marvel and Lover Boy… then I remember what happened, just as Cato begins to fill me in on everything.

"Glimmer and Kylie are dead, thanks to Fire Girl," he spits out the words 'Fire Girl' venomously. "Peeta betrayed us. I always knew he was trouble, but at least we know Fire Girl's general whereabouts. She may have pulled a fantastic stunt with that tracker jacker hive, but I'm sure she had to have gotten more tracker jacker stings than you, even. I found him after we brought you here. Cut his leg half-off. It's bound to get infected. He's still alive, for now, but not for long. Marvel's out looking for more tributes to fall victim to the Careers. You didn't miss much, but Marvel and I were pretty worried. You had a lot of… fits while you were out, and you didn't look too good."

I nod, then look quickly to the side. The leaves of a bush are swaying slightly, an effect of the breeze maybe, but I could've sworn they rustled, as if… as if someone was hiding in them. As if someone was watching us. "Hey, Cato…" I say slowly, "Did you see that bush move? I wonder if someone's watching us." I look at him and see that he looks confused. He shakes his head and gently helps me lay down.

"Nobody's watching us Clove. And if they are, we'll kill them. But you might just be hallucinating. I'm not sure how long the effects of those stings are going to last. You ought to rest; I don't want you to get hurt, Clove. I love you," he says, leaning down and kissing me gently. I don't pull away; in fact, I kiss back for a while, but when we stop, I shake my head in confusion.

"I thought you didn't want to show affection towards me, in case the other tributes react badly," I say, confused. He gently caresses my face and gives me a small smile, kissing me again, this time a short fleeting kiss.

"It doesn't matter now. It's not like they're going to announce that we're in love all over the arena. And even if they do, I don't care. I won't let anybody hurt you, Clove. I promise." I smile and close my eyes, letting out a short, contented sigh.

"Well then, I love you too Cato." I drift off to sleep.

I don't know how long I drift in and out of sleep. There are multiple short periods of time where I wake for a few minutes, eat something or drink some water, and fall back to sleep, so many that I can't really keep track of time. However, when I do really wake up, Cato informs me that I was out for a few days. I stand up and stretch, and talk to Marvel a bit. Just small talk, nothing like the fun conversations we had on the first couple days. Marvel has dark rings under his eyes. Also, he talks about Glimmer quite a bit. As it turns out, they were almost like brother and sister, sort of like Cato and I.

Suddenly, we see a huge amount of smoke float up from the trees near where we are. Cato and I exchange glances and he says, "Marvel, Clove, you two, come with me. We're going to see what that smoke is. Will, stay here and guard the camp. I don't want anything bad happening, understood? Something strange is going on. No normal fire smokes that much. We're going to find out what's going on."

I follow Cato and Marvel as we head toward the smoke. When we get there, we see a fire of pine needles fizzling out, and another plume of smoke rises farther on. And then, we hear an explosion. I turn to look in the direction and my mouth drops open. "Cato," I say sharply, "someone just blew up our camp." He turns to look where I am and tells Marvel quickly to follow the smoke and kill whoever is behind it. Then, the two of us run back to camp.

"Cato, don't kill him," I try to say before he kills William. But he doesn't hear me. He yells something angrily at Will and then snaps his neck. Will falls to the ground, and just like that, our teammate is dead. I stare in horror and surprise at Will's dead body on the ground, and I slowly start backing away, covering my mouth with my hand to keep from crying out.

"Clove, I didn't mean to… oh, oh my gosh… Clove…" I shake my head, still mute from the shock, and I turn and sprint away. I don't even know where I'm going. As I run, I try to ask myself, well, what did I expect? This is a fight to the death, and Cato has been training for this. But I just can't bring myself to think these thoughts. He killed a teammate. Nothing is more dishonorable than that, right? I hear three cannons fire. I slow down while running through the woods. Why were there three cannons? There is one for the fire starter, one for Will, but who is the last cannon for?

I pray that it isn't Marvel, that it's eleven or someone- anyone else. I need to talk to Marvel. There's no one else left to talk to. I can't talk to Cato about what happened, because he was the one who killed his teammate. And then everyone else is dead. I race in the direction of the second fire, and continue on, looking for Marvel. And then I see it.

The girl from eleven, covered in flowers and… Marvel. Marvel is dead, with an arrow in his neck. He was killed by Fire Girl. I scream in anger and desperation. A girl runs past. I don't know who it is, but I don't wait to find out. In moments, there is a knife in her heart. I storm away before stopping next to a tree and collapsing at its base. I curl up, splaying my hand against the soft grass, toying with the little blades in my fingers and smiling. I close my eyes and fall asleep.

I wake to the announcer saying, "I'd like to announce a slight rule change." I sit up curiously, leaning my back against the trunk of the tree and waiting for the voice to continue speaking. "Instead of just one tribute winning, if both tributes from the same district survive and remain the last two standing, both of them will win." I blink in surprise. That isn't what I expected at all. But still, it means that Cato and I can both go home.

After the grief earlier, my thoughts have calmed down, and I can analyze what happened more carefully and logically. As I think about it, I realize that Cato was just doing what we have been trained to do since we were young. Technically, he did nothing wrong. Alliances always fall apart eventually. I stand up and start heading back to where our camp had been before Fire Girl and eleven ruined it.

I run into Cato on the way there. When he sees me, he braces himself with his sword out, but then relaxes when he sees that it's me. "Clove, thank goodness," he breathes, gathering me in his arms and hugging me tightly to his chest. "I heard all those cannons and I got so worried… but you're okay. We can both win, Clove. We can go home." I smile and hug him as tightly as I can, which being me, isn't very tight.

"We can," I murmur, "but Marvel's dead. I was going to talk to him. Katniss shot him. I have to kill her Cato. She's killed everyone. Kylie, Glimmer, and now Marvel. And she made you kill Will. She's destroyed our alliance." I narrow my eyes and say the next words as a growl, "I'll kill her."

"Whoa, Clove," Cato says, pushing me back by the shoulders. "What's gotten into you? Just a few hours ago you were running away at the sight of someone dying. Suddenly you want to kill someone?"

"Not just anyone," I say in a deadly voice.

"Katniss Everdeen."

**Here you go guys =D Everything's played out… and soon it'll get to the plot twist. =D =D =D So, like it? Don't like it? Tips? Questions? Comments? Review! I'll start doing reviewer replies now… add some interesting stuff to the author's notes.**

**BUT FIRST, to all of my lovely fans, it is time you have earned your FAN TRUCK BADGES OF AWESOMENESS AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! You are all official members of the England Fan Truck. On the England Fan Truck, we all sit in the back and it drives around randomly and we are basically just huge fan and fandom freaks all together3 So join my fan truck3 We have cookies. And we play ukulele. And banjo. So come join the England Fan Truck =D! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Have some cookies.**

**Emmy98- Thanks for that note of happiness ^-^ Hope you continue to enjoy the story**

**Hglover3- TRUE DAT. My main problem is I have this drive to please people. I love making people happy and seeing them smile, so I have trouble keeping true to the quote "You can't please everyone, so please yourself"…**

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**Lexington1289- Words to live by.**

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**Alright, hope you enjoy this chapter, **

**XOXO,**

**England**


	11. Chapter 11

Cato and I walk through the woods a while, me killing the occasional squirrel with my knives and then picking it up to cook later. It may not be good meat, but its meat nonetheless. We decide eventually to go back to our original camp, but closer to the Cornucopia this time. We head there, hand in hand, and sit down together on the charred remains of our camp. We start a small fire and sit by it. I lean my head on Cato's shoulder as we work on cooking the squirrels.

"Cato… I hate this. Marvel, Glimmer, Kylie, Will… they were my friends. This is awful. I don't want to keep slaughtering innocent kids just like us. I even thought of Peeta as a friend before he betrayed us. I just want to go home, Cato. Kill Katniss and go home. I don't want to take any more lives that don't deserve to be taken. It isn't fair." He listens in silence, nodding every now and then to show that he is listening and that he agrees.

He sighs and murmurs, "I know it is horrible Clove. But we have to get through this." I nod and he wraps his arm around my shoulders, holding me close to him. We split the squirrel meat and we both eat our shares gladly, having had much more fruit than meat throughout the games so far. Then, we fall asleep, leaning against each other as our fire sizzles to a pile of ashes and charred wood.

The leisurely lifestyle of ours that we have established continues for a day or two, but then another announcement blares throughout the arena. I guess not enough deaths have been occurring. They have to drive us together somehow. The announcement says, "I am here to announce a feast. At the Cornucopia, there is a bag with your district number on it. In it is something you need or will need desperately. Go to the Cornucopia now to retrieve your bag."

I look at Cato excitedly. "Let me go, Cato. This could be my chance to kill Katniss. This could be my chance to get my revenge!" He looks at me with an uneasy expression, like he doesn't want me to go but knows how stubborn I can be. He narrows his eyes and I hold my breath as I wait for his final decision.

"Fine… but I'm coming with you, okay?" I shake my head, disagreeing with him immediately. I don't want him to take my kill, or to baby me and watch me like a hawk while I'm completing the one kill that means everything to me.

"No Cato. This is something I need to do alone. I'm not a baby. I promise I'll be fine, and I'll give the audience a good show, too. You stay here and kill anyone that tries to come this way," I suggest, hoping that he will agree and let me go by myself.

He is silent for a moment, thinking about whether or not to let me go alone, and oh, how I wish that he will. And then he sighs, defeated, shaking his head slightly and says, "You win, Clove. But if you need me, scream for me, okay? I don't want to lose you." I nod, deciding to at least allow him that and stand up quickly, eager to get going.

"I'll be back before you know it, and Fire Girl will be dead when I am!" I run off up the hill to the Cornucopia, where the feast is to take place.

When I get there, I linger in the shadows of the Cornucopia, watching as the redhead sprints in and sprints out, grabbing her bag and running. She's a coward, but perhaps her cowardice is what has gotten her this far and in that case, it can hardly be called cowardice. And that's when I see my target. Twelve, running towards her bag like no one can hurt her. I fling a knife at her and it hits her in the forehead. Perfect.

Leaping out, I bowl her over and pin her to the ground. We fight for a few minutes, struggling to get on top and stay on top, but eventually I win, pinning her down in a position she can't get out of. I pull out a knife and grin sadistically at her. Excitement bubbles in my chest. Finally, I can avenge my friends' deaths. Finally, I can settle my fears. Finally, Fire Girl will be nothing but ash.

I chuckle and say in a cool and collected voice, "Where's your boyfriend district twelve? Still hanging on?" I recoil slightly as she spits blood and saliva into my face. I scowl at her and snarl, "Liar, he's nearly dead. Cato knows where he cut him and how badly… You've probably got him strapped up in some tree while you try to keep his heart going. What's in the pretty little backpack, that medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it." I press the knife to her cheek.

"I promised Cato if he let me have you, I'd give the audience a good show." I begin to draw a gentle line around her mouth with the blade. Oh, how fun it'll be to see her dead, and at my doing. How fun it'll be to see the light leave her pathetic eyes, as she dies at my mercy. "Forget it, District twelve. We're going to kill you. Just like we did your pathetic little ally...what was her name? The one who ran around in trees? Rue? Well, first Rue, then you, and then I think we'll just let nature take care of Lover Boy. How does that sound? Now, where to start? I think we'll start with your mouth. Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips anymore. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?"

Just as I'm going to kill her, to finally get what I've wanted for so long, I'm lifted off the ground by someone much taller and stronger than I am and I am slammed into the side of the Cornucopia roughly, sending pain up my spine. I look up to see Thresh's furious face staring down at me, his eyes alight with anger and hatred, and tears of fear fill my eyes. He holds a large, sharp rock up, as though he's prepared to strike me and leave me dead and says, "Did you kill her? I heard her name! Did you kill her? Did you?"

"No!" I gasp, struggling to breathe, his hand is clamped tightly around my throat, "No, it wasn't me!" I'm not lying, it wasn't me, but in a way, I realize it was. I was a part of the alliance that killed her. One of my friends killed her, and I just let him. I just let him go when Cato told him to. I killed her, in a way. I killed her. I struggle against Thresh again, knowing now that there is no way I can get away. I'm getting what's coming to me.

"I HEARD HER NAME! YOU KILLED HER!" Thresh screams, his face contorted in rage as his muscles tighten and he swings his arm back to slam the rock into my skull. As I think of the pain I'm about to endure, I remember what Cato told me. He told me to scream for him if I needed him. I don't want to seem like a coward, but I don't want to die, and I don't want to leave Cato alone, when we could go home together and we could be happy.

"CATO!" I scream at the top of my lungs, hoping that he hears me, "CATO!" Thresh slams me into the Cornucopia again and is about to hit me with the rock when suddenly he is yanked off me. The rock hits my head, but not as hard as it would have if it had been better directed. I feel blood drizzle down the side of my face and I lie on the ground, coughing and struggling to get air back into my lungs. Above me, I see Cato snap Thresh's neck in a matter of seconds. I guess Thresh may be strong, but he must have a frail neck.

He looks at me and says, "Do it now, Clove. She's your kill." He points to the wounded girl from twelve on the ground. I hold up the knife and think of Peeta, waiting for the medicine that will never come. I think of her little sister, like Kathy, and her friends, like Tia, her trainer, like Eva, her escort, like Gertrude… And for a moment, my hand weakens. How can I kill someone just like me, someone who has a loving home and family praying that she'll live?

But then I remember everything she stole from me. Stealing this one thing, one simple thing can't hurt her too badly, I suppose, figuratively. I take the knife tightly in my hand, reveling in the cool feeling of the handle against my flesh, and slam it into her chest, hearing the sickening sound of metal breaking into her body. She convulses once, twice, under my hands, and then her body stills. The light leaves her eyes slowly, leaving them glassy and cloudy, staring off into the distance, at a better place. A light smile appears on her face, hardly noticeable, as though she's content at last, out of the horror of the Hunger Games for good.

I feel relieved as I sit back on my heels, looking at her body. The fire has been put out, so to speak. The glint of knives has shone through, and now I'm shining, the murderess of the great Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire. But then I begin to feel a slight sadness, almost remorseful. I killed this girl who was practically my twin, if only we had known each other better, or were from the same district. We could have been sisters, we were so similar. I shake off the remorse and push myself to my feet from where I crouch on the ground next to her dead body.

I back up and then feel dizzy. Cato's there to catch me when I fall though. I lean against his chest and cling to him. He hugs me and whispers, "Two more people, and one of them is as good as dead. We're the last team left, Clove." I nod and lean into him as we take our bag and twelve's and go back to our little camp. When we get there, we open the packs and look in them.

Ironically enough, twelve's has infection and wound medicine, and ours has disinfectant and bandages. It's as if the Gamemakers knew what would happen before it happened for real, but of course, there was no way to really say that. They probably just assumed that one of us would get hurt at the feast or something like that and that we'd need the bandages. I lie down with a sigh and close my eyes as Cato puts the medicine and disinfectant on the cut on my head and wraps a bandage around it.

Deciding that I trust Cato, who has been my best friend for as long as I can remember and is now my boyfriend, I come out and say what's been on my mind since I held the knife up to stab twelve. "Cato…" I start slowly, not really knowing how to word it, "I know it's not right… I mean, she deserved it… but I kind of feel bad for twelve, and guilty for killing her. I know I had to, and I wanted to, really, really wanted to, but we had so much in common. I mean, we both volunteered for our little sisters. We both loved our district partner and have loving families that started watching these games praying that we'd come home. And then Peeta… how will he feel when she doesn't come back? He'd feel like you would if I didn't come back." I swallow and say, "I almost feel like I should've died in her place. Her family is probably in deeper trouble than mine, being from district twelve."

Cato kisses me rather roughly before I can continue, then looks into my eyes and says, "Clove, stop. Stop thinking like that, and don't talk like that. What happens, well, it happens. You killed her, Clove, you won that battle. Don't say that you should've died." Then he says more softly, "Though it's true that the districts get it so bad. The Capitol is bathed in riches. It's not fair. I wish we could defy the tyranny." I smile a little.

"We can." I say. "You know how district twelve sent Katniss off at their reaping? It played on the television while we had free time once. If we do that, the Capitol will know… they can't rule us forever, not even their closest districts the Career districts." He is smiling too now. I sit up carefully and yell, "HEY, CAPITOL!" I take three fingers, press them to my lips softly, then turn them out silently, towards the sky, towards whatever cameras may be watching me, and I hope that it's being shown right now, because they deserve it. They deserve to be told off.

Cato chuckles and we both lay down now. I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. "We can go home, Cato." I murmur. "I didn't believe it before, but I know it now. We can really go home." I smile at the thought and watch the clouds drift by above me. And that's when I hear a cannon go off. I sit up suddenly and look at Cato.

"Peeta," I say, "that had to be Peeta." He nods, and then sits up too, because the cannon didn't seem to be the only noise to go off. Something out in the woods is howling. I know they have to be muttations. We exchange a glance and stand up at once. My head throbs immediately and I wince. Cato grabs my hand and we begin running towards the Cornucopia. He has longer legs so he can run faster than me, so I'm practically being dragged along.

"This has to be their endgame," I puff when we arrive at the Cornucopia. "They're chasing us and the last tribute left here." Sure enough, once we've scrambled up the Cornucopia, the redhead comes running out of the woods, a huge pack of wolves on her heels. Her face holds nothing but panic and fear and she runs faster and faster as she nears the Cornucopia. I draw a knife as she appears, running towards us, and leaps up to the top of the Cornucopia with us.

The wolf muttations jump at it, howling and whimpering as they struggle to get up and attack us. One of them manages to grab the redhead's foot and drag her down. I watch in horror as they begin to attack her. I see a few of them look up at me and gasp. Their eyes and fur are the same color as the hair and eyes of the dead tributes. I see Katniss, Marvel, Glimmer, Kylie, William, Rue, Thresh, Peeta, all reflected on the muttations.

"Cato, look," I say, my voice trembling, "they're the tributes. They're the dead ones." I turn to face him and bury my face in his shoulder as I hug him to try and block out the redhead's screams and the wolves' whimpers and snarls. Cato does the same, holding me and refusing to look at the awful creatures- many that we killed ourselves- murdering the girl who was too clever for her own good.

We must have stood like that all night, because when we finally break apart, a milky light is creeping over the arena, and the sky is getting lighter. I look down and see that the wolves are gone, but the redhead's cries can still be heard in the air. I hold my knife so tightly that my knuckles turn white as I look down at the poor girl who has fallen victim to the Gamemakers' horrible muttations. My face softens as I look at her.

"Please," she begs, "Please…" I nod and throw the knife. It hits her in the skull, and she smiles as the light leaves her eyes and the muscles of her torn body relax. I back up against Cato and look at him, disbelief crossing my face as the unbelievable becomes believable. He smiles and picks me up, hugging me and spinning me in a circle, laughing giddily, and I can do nothing but join him in his foolish excitement, because I am just as foolishly excited.

"We did it," I breathe, "We won!" He laughs and kisses the top of my head, setting me down and holding my hands as he finally stops laughing. His warm blue eyes sparkle in the pale morning sunlight and I don't even mind the dirt on his face or the blood on his hands, because _we won. _

Then I realize that the hovercraft never came, the aircraft that was supposed to take us to the Capitol like it always does at the end of the Hunger Games. And suddenly, it all makes sense, because another announcement comes over the arena. "Hello tributes. The previous rule change has been… revoked. Only one of you may go home."

My heart plummets and Cato's eyes go cold. He drops my hands and the smile leaves his face. He looks like a different person entirely. My lower lip trembles as I fight back tears. I take a deep breath and say, "Kill me, Cato. You should go home. It was your year to volunteer. It wasn't mine. I'm just what the Academy teachers said I was. I'm a failure for volunteering before my time. I never would have gotten this far without you. But you don't need me, Cato. Go home for us." I kneel down and bow my head forward, leaving my neck free to cut off with a swipe of his sword.

But Cato doesn't swipe his sword at my neck. He doesn't even touch the handle, or glance at it. "No, Clove," he says, "I won't go home without you. I love you." I look up at him and see that he is holding out a hand. I take it and he pulls me to my feet. I smile weakly and squeeze his hand gently.

"I love you too." Then, my eyebrows knit together, and I remember what Gertrude said. "Cato… do you remember what Gertrude said? When we were in the elevator? What better way to outsmart the Capitol than to not allow them their one and only victor?" He looks down, his eyebrows furrowing together like mine did, and nods slowly. He looks back up at me and his face relaxes. He takes out his sword and holds it up to his throat. I take out a knife and hold it up to mine.

"Together or not at all?" he asks, though there was really no need to, because we both already know the answer. I give the smallest of nods and struggle to keep my hand from shaking and to keep my voice steady as I respond.

"Together or not at all," I murmur, and then I close my eyes, and press the sharp metal to my throat, feeling the first droplets of blood dribble out, and then the announcer screams, "STOP!"

"STOP!" it comes again. I open my eyes and drop the knife, and Cato drops his sword. The announcer says in an uncertain voice, "Everyone, this year's victors, of the 74th annual Hunger Games, Cato Ludwig and Clove Sphar!" I smile such a huge smile that I didn't even know my face could stretch enough to fit on it. I hug Cato tightly and he kisses me, and then the hovercraft comes to take us away from the Hunger Games.

We won. And now, we have to face the wrath of the Capitol. Because if there's anything the Capitol hates, it's being outsmarted. And we did just that- outsmarted the Capitol.

**So guys, how is it? There are only a few more chapters left. I didn't realize I'd finish the games this fast =( It was so much fun to write! I will be doing sequels, I've decided, Catching Fire and Mockingjay in Clove's point of view. I've just been having such a good time writing these last few chapters. Unfortunately, I wrote this so soon after posting chapter 10, that I don't have any more reviews to reply to. So I guess I'm signing off!**

**XOXO  
England**


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